University of the Highlands and Islands (Inverness College)

– in the Scottish Parliament at on 27 September 2017.

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2. To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has with Inverness College UHI. (S5O-01286)

Photo of Shirley-Anne Somerville Shirley-Anne Somerville Scottish National Party

The Scottish Government is engaging regularly with Inverness College, along with four other colleges, as part of the colleges improvement project on retention and attainment. The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council also engages with Inverness College, as part of the University of the Highlands and Islands, through the annual outcome agreement process.

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In a recent newspaper article, the new principal and chief executive of Inverness College UHI, Professor Chris O’Neil, is reported as saying that

“the cloud of uncertainty about the nature of the final Brexit deal meant he still did not know what he was going to have to do to support his EU colleagues and UHI’s cohort of 374 EU students.”

The article continued:

“And expressing particular fears for the future of science industries, he said: ‘It was interesting that ... Brexit leader David Davis was talking about the way in which he wants to negotiate a relationship with Europe that preserves our extraordinary capacity to attract and to develop world-class science.’”

UHI would not have come into existence without European Union support. Does the minister agree with Professor O’Neil’s description of the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the EU as “a tragedy”?

Photo of Shirley-Anne Somerville Shirley-Anne Somerville Scottish National Party

Yes—I agree with the principal’s statements. We welcome the UK Government’s wish to continue to participate in EU science and innovation programmes, but it is difficult to see how our institutions will be able to do that effectively without continued freedom of movement for our academics, researchers and students. I am afraid that that is yet another example of the lack of long-term planning and joined-up thinking in the UK Government’s decisions about Brexit. Combining that with the UK Government’s student visa policies and its intention to still tighten the grip on immigration for international students continues to send a negative message to students who are considering Scotland for their studies. The Scottish Government is determined to work against such an approach.