THE UK Government did not give their Scottish counterparts any prior notice before telling the media that a £10 million investment in new colleges would be contingent on the SNP administration matching the funding.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said there had been “no details”, “no formal request”, and no consultation on plans for two “defence technical excellence colleges” in Scotland before they were revealed to the media by Defence Minister Luke Pollard on Thursday.
The provisional £10m funding for new colleges was announced at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) as part of a £50m growth deal for Scotland’s defence industry.
Pollard said the deal would include £5m for the Arrol Gibb Innovation Campus in Rosyth, £5m for the Clyde Engineering and Innovation Centre, and “£10m to establish two defence technical excellence colleges in Scotland, one on the east coast and one on the west, spreading opportunity to young people”.
However, speaking to media after the announcement, Pollard and Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander both made clear that the funding would only be delivered if the Scottish Government agreed to match it. While defence is a matter reserved to Westminster, education and skills are devolved to Holyrood.
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Asked how much engagement the UK Government had had with their counterparts in Edinburgh before announcing the provisional funding, Alexander said: “The Scottish Government have taken a different approach to defence skills, in recent years than the UK Government, but we're making a good faith offer today to join us in recognising ... that the right and responsible course is to make sure that young Scots have the skills that they need to make a meaningful contribution to not just our defence industrial base, but our national security going forward.
“So, really having made this offer today, the ball's in the court of the Scottish Government to decide whether they want to recognise that responsibility and match the funding commitment that we've made.”
Pushed on whether the SNP Government would have had knowledge of the offer before today, Alexander said: “Well, we've already been in consultation with Colleges Scotland.”
It was pointed out that Colleges Scotland is a charity, not a government body, and asked twice more if the SNP Government had “heard of the offer beforehand”.
“We are making the offer today,” Alexander said.
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The Scottish Government was then asked if it had been made aware of the caveat attached to the provisional £10m funding beforehand.
Deputy First Minister Forbes said: "We welcome any announcement involving Scottish colleges. However, at this point we have received no details from the UK Government, have not been consulted, and have received no formal request for match funding.”
She went on: “Some of the work in the Defence Growth Deal overlaps with initiatives on which the Scottish Government has oversight, such as the Clyde Engineering and Innovation Centre which was announced a year ago as part of the Argyll and Bute Growth Deal.
“This is why working together is important, and the Scottish Government has requested a role on the committee which will support the design and implementation of the Defence Growth Deal in Scotland.”
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