First Minister’s Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 12 December 2024.
Maurice Golden
Conservative
Universities Scotland has said that the sector is in an “immensely difficult place”. The University of Dundee, which is of critical importance to the city and to Scotland, faces a budget deficit of up to £30 million. In the short term, what reassurance can the First Minister provide to University of Dundee staff? In the long term, will the Scottish Government consider changes to governance mechanisms to mitigate the risk of such situations arising at the University of Dundee or, indeed, any Scottish institution?
John Swinney
Scottish National Party
Mr Golden has raised a significant and serious issue. On the general position, the budget settlement includes more than £1.1 billion of funding for teaching and research in our universities, which will be distributed by the Scottish Funding Council. As Mr Golden will appreciate, the University of Dundee is an independent institution, as are all universities, but it is in all our interests that those independent institutions are able to thrive and flourish. Like Mr Golden, I am concerned about the situation at the University of Dundee, which is an important university in the locality that I represent.
The Scottish Funding Council has been engaging with the University of Dundee, as has the higher education Minister, Graeme Dey. The Funding Council will work closely with the university, on the understanding that the Government wishes to be kept very close to the discussions to ensure that we can provide exactly the reassurance that Mr Golden has asked of me, because it is vital that the university community feels confident about the future.
The University of Dundee is a magnificent institution that has tremendous strength in a variety of sectors, not least its contribution to life sciences research in Scotland. It is vital that the university gets a vote of confidence from the Parliament, and I am grateful to Mr Golden for providing me with the opportunity to say exactly that.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
