Lib Dem MSP Tavish Scott leads a debate on broadband and mobile phone coverage in rural and island communities.

MSPs back Public Health Minister's amendment to the Transplantation Bill, which means the legislation falls and will not progress to stage 2 scrutiny. 

59 MSPs backed it and 56 MSPs voted against it.

The amendment called for MSPs not to agree the general principles of the bill due to "serious concerns", although it agrees the merits of developing of a soft opt-out system for Scotland. 

It also calls for the government to undertake a consultation on the issue, learning from the experiences in Wales. 

The amended motion was passed with 59 MSPs backed it and 56 MSPs voted against it

Ms Scanlon concludes by saying she hopes the investigation into Coatbridge College serves as a warning to other public bodies. 

Public Audit Committee deputy convener Mary Scanlon says because things were so bad at Coatbridge and North Glasgow Colleges, it would be wrong to say all colleges are the same, there is indeed best practice in Scotland.

It is right John Doyle has been named and shamed in the chamber, says Ms Scanlon.

Ms Scanlon highlights the Linkston report review on the merger process at Coatbridge College. 

The Tory MSP thanks the family of Francis McGeachie, who insisted the committee see this report.

She says the review highlighted the "arrogant approach pursued by the principle (of Coatbridge College) allowed no duty of care at all to the rest of his staff".

She says: "Tragically depute principle Francis McGeachie took his own life" during the merger process at Coatbridge College.

Education Secretary Angela Constance says the Auditor General said the failure in governance was down to a small number of people.

Ms Constance says they ignored guidance, you had the chair of a college board being the chair of remuneration committee.

Image source, Getty Images

When the Scottish Funding Council said don't do it, she says, they went ahead with the payments. 

The education secretary says if action is needed to prevent or deal with poor governance she will take it. 

Education Secretary Angela Constance underlines the importance of Audit Scotland for the good and thorough work they undertake.

Ms Constance pays tribute to the committee for the level of checking through documents as part of this process.

The education secretary says the government have more than met their manifesto commitments and have spent more than previous administrations in this sector. 

She says the crux of the matter is a merger was the right thing to do because it has benefited students, led to courses being available to more people and has helped challenge youth unemployment.

Mr Griffin says Audit Scotland said given the significant failure in governance the role of the Scottish Funding Council must be improved.

The Labour MSP asks if new rules and regulations have been drafted by the education secretary for future public sector payoffs.

He says the money paid in severance packages has come directly from funds that would have supported students.   

Labour MSP Mark Griffin says Scotland's colleges should be the envy of the world and they should be accessible to everyone and sadly that is not the case.

The Scottish government's record on colleges has been "shambolic"

College reform has been an absolute failure with 152,000 students locked out of college courses and 3,500 members of staff made redundant. 

Conservative MSP Liz Smith says the Auditor General would not have said it was one of the worst cases she had ever seen in her role if it had not been the case.

Ms Smith thanks the committee for investigating thousands of documents and underlines the seriousness of the situation when they had to pass some to the police. 

The Tory MSP says it is clear that the Scottish Funding Council did not do enough. 

The most important thing is to restore trust, she says. 

A wee reminder that decision time is at 5.30pm today.

MSPs will vote on whether to agree the general principles of the Transplantation Bill and the government amendment to it that will cause it to fall. 

Labour MSP Patricia Ferugson says "this has been a very sorry chapter in further education in Scotland". 

Ms Ferguson crticises the Scottish Funding Council's role.

SNP MSP George Adam says in John Doyle's case "greed overcame practicality and reality".

He says the case sickened him and damaged the public view of public bodies.

A former college principal should hand back some of his £304,000 severance pay, a committee of MSPs has concluded. 

Coatbridge College head John Doyle was given the money after his institution merged with two other colleges. 

Image source, Google

Holyrood's Public Audit Committee, which said the principal was paid "in excess of the guidelines", has passed its report, external to Police Scotland. 

Mr Doyle told MSPs in October he had done nothing wrong and that his reputation had been unfairly "trashed". 

Lib Dem MSP Tavish Scott says Audit Scotland keeps the rest of the public sector honest and that is what happened at Coatbridge College.

Audit Scotland deserves a heck of a lot of credit for that today, says Mr Scott.

Image source, bbc

He says he does not know how John Doyle can get up and look in the the shaving mirror in the morning, he should pay back the £304,000 to back to New College Lanarkshire. 

Conservative MSP Liz Smith says it is very important that all the facts are brought into the public domain and that this is never allowed to happen again.

Ms Smith says it was agreed that the colleges required a merger but that there were some skeptical voices and you would think it would have undergone more scrutiny. 

The Tory MSP says the failures are completely unacceptable and that reviews are required into the transparency of those involved and the relationship between the Scottish government and Scottish Funding Council.

She concludes by saying "these are very important matters that the parliament cannot ignore". 

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Correspondent

MSPs on Holyrood's Public Audit Committee were unanimous.

Their report into bumper pay-offs for Coatbridge college bosses finds that the principal, John Doyle, was responsible for "serious failings in the governance of severance arrangements". 

It says he colluded with the chairman, John Gray to secure "excessive" pay-offs for himself and six other senior managers by deliberately withholding information from those who signed off the deals. 

The committee is urging Mr Doyle to pay back much of his £304,000 golden goodbye. 

They say this request and their decision to copy their report to Police Scotland are without precedent.

Mr Doyle has previously refused to pay back any money arguing that he has "done nothing wrong". 

Mr Gray has also denied collusion. 

Ms Baillie says people will be sickened that John Doyle played the system to line his own pockets in one of the most deprived parts of Scotland.

The former Coatbridge College prinicipal should pay the money back.

Labour MSP Jackie Baillie says colleges are critical educational institutions.

Ms Baillie says the reorganisation of the college sector and the audit reports have shown the SNP government's handling of the reform has not really done it credit. 

Image source, bbc

She says there has been a truly damning assessment from staff on the government's college reforms.

Ms Baillie says there are 152,000 fewer college students since the SNP came to power. 

Mr Doyle, who earned £116,000 a year by the end of his service, was given: 

• a 21-month lump sum
• three months for completing the merger 
• a further six months' pay in lieu of notice, totalling 30 months' pay. 

Six other college staff also benefited from the £850,000 pot of pay-off money. 

Police Scotland said that officers had had discussions with Audit Scotland and the "matter is under review". 

Education Secretary Angela Constance says she founded the College Good Governance Task Group which is now extracting some good from recent failures. 

Ms Constance says the Scottish Funding Council will take a more substantial role than to date.