THE UK Education Secretary has refused to rule out the possibility Westminster will use its post-Brexit powers to impose tuition fees on Scots students.
Gavin Williamson was speaking in Parliament earlier today when he pointedly avoided saying the Internal Market Bill would not be used to “undermine” the SNP’s policy and set university fees in Scotland from London.
During today’s Oral Questions to the Secretary of State for Education, the SNP MP Carol Monaghan said: “I was delighted to hear last week that the Scottish Tories now support the SNP’s policy on free university tuition and I’m sure the Secretary of State will welcome this U-turn.”
The representative for Glasgow North West then asked: “But can he confirm that the Internal Market Bill will not undermine the ability of the Scottish Government to set university fees in Scotland or to continue providing free university tuition?”
Williamson gave an evasive answer which suggested that “proper use” of the higher education market across the whole of the UK would be decided in London.
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He said: “The honourable lady seems to always miss the point that we live in a United Kingdom of four nations together where there is one single market, and we have to ensure there is efficient and proper use of that market so that all four nations properly benefit.”
Last month, the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) warned that the Internal Market Bill could be used to force registration of unqualified teachers from outside Scotland, by centralising the teacher registration process at a UK level.
GTCS chief executive Ken Muir said: "The bill makes it quite clear that the General Teaching Council would be expected to register and give full registration to any teacher from any of the jurisdictions in the UK.
"And if they are in the teaching profession in England, irrespective of whether they are highly qualified or unqualified, the expectation is that we would register them."
The UK Department for Education has been contacted for comment.
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