Although I note the minister’s attempt to strike a collegiate tone, I will repeat what I said to him in private: my fear is that the Government is moving too slowly and putting structural change ahead of functional reform. It has been many months since he has met any members of the Labour front bench, and his statement falls short of what we understood the Government’s direction to be, and it begs some serious questions. Although it was imperfect, the previous system with the Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board and SDS had a very clear role for employers and trade unions in the governance structures. The proposals for an employers network have no such formal governance structure, so how can industry have confidence that it will be at the forefront in shaping the future skills landscape when it appears that its role is being diluted?

Furthermore, it appears that the Scottish Government has taken inspiration from the Monty Python dead parrot sketch on its approach to SDS. It appears to be an ex-agency that no longer has a function. I am surprised that the minister did not describe it as being the Norwegian blue of agencies. A bit like Michael Palin’s pet shop owner, the minister is claiming that it still has a function—but what is its function if it is no longer even providing careers advice, which we understood would be its primary function?