(Angus) (SNP) [V]: The UK Government’s proposed Turing
scheme is at every level a pale imitation of Erasmus, not least
the funding of £105 million compared with the educational and
fraternal powerhouse of Erasmus and its budget of £26.2 billion
over seven years. Turing offers no funding to the international
partners that we need to allow mobilities; it offers no support
at all for adult education or youth work centres; and support for
our colleges and schools will be drastically reduced. Can we have
a debate in Government time on the incompetence of this
Government’s damaging educational opportunity in Scotland, with
specific reference to the provisions made under the 1707 Acts of
Union?
Mr Rees-Mogg: It is always a delight to debate the virtues of the
Acts of Union and what they did to create such a strong United
Kingdom, to the benefit of everybody throughout the whole United
Kingdom. I remind the hon. Gentleman of the £8.6 billion that the
United Kingdom taxpayer has provided to help Scotland.
The Turing scheme will be backed by £100 million and will look at
a broader horizon, rather than a narrow European horizon—we will
turn our eyes to the whole of the world and it will provide UK
students with the opportunity to study all over the world. It
will potentially help 35,000 students in universities, colleges
and schools to go on study and work placements overseas, starting
in September 2021. The continuation of Erasmus would have cost
the taxpayer £2 billion and we would have got less out of it than
we put in. That would not have been fair on our taxpayers.
