The HE Governance (Scotland) Bill was passed on Tuesday 8 March by 92 votes to 17. Universities Scotland gave the following response to the stage 3 debate. A spokesperson said:
“We don’t believe the case for elected Chairs was well evidenced. We remain concerned that this will deter credible candidates and undermine the good governance in our universities.
“Parliament passed some modest amendments but missed an opportunity to include an exemption clause in the Bill which would have acknowledged the diversity of 18 institutions including the Conservatoire and art school. Instead, we are left with a Bill that takes a rigid and one-size-fits-all approach which is entirely inappropriate and unnecessary.
“Universities support the highest standards of good governance which means transparency, accountability and representation. Legislation has never been needed to achieve this.
“We are grateful for the much-needed scrutiny that Parliament has given to the Bill at all stages and welcome the effort that went into the amendments to make the bill more workable and less prescriptive.”
An overview of the stage 3 debate and a log of the votes on amendments is available in Universities Scotland’s look back posts.