Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee, 28 Nov 2001

Meeting date: Wednesday, November 28, 2001

Official Report 245KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

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Northern College of Education (Closure) (Scotland) Order 2001 (SSI 2001/407)

Item 1 is consideration of the Northern College of Education (Closure) (Scotland) Order 2001. We have with us Kevin Fulton and Ann Scott from the Scottish Executive enterprise and lifelong learning department. Before I ask members whether they have questions, are there particular points that the witnesses would like to raise?

If members wish, I could run through the general purpose of the order.

Please be quick.

The order will affect the merger of Northern College by closing the college and transferring its obligations, assets, liabilities and rights to the University of Aberdeen and the University of Dundee. The order winds up and dissolves the governing body. The college is the sole remaining free-standing teacher education institution—since 1992, all other teacher education institutions have merged with various universities. The merger of the college with the two universities will ensure the continuation of teacher education in both Dundee and Aberdeen. When that happens, the tradition of free-standing colleges of education will end.

Ministers believe that the most successful mergers are those that take place between willing partners and in which the impetus to merge comes from the institutions directly. In July 1999, Northern College and the two universities submitted proposals to the Scottish ministers to merge the college's Aberdeen campus with the University of Aberdeen and its Dundee campus with the University of Dundee. In considering merger proposals, ministers are advised by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council. The council's advice was sought in October 1999; it assessed the merger proposal against criteria that were devised for that purpose. The council sought clarification on aspects of the proposal and that clarification was given in January 2001. The council's advice to ministers was tendered in March; ministers approved and announced the merger in June.

The principal reason for approving mergers is educational benefit—benefit to students, staff and the Scottish higher education sector as a whole. SHEFC was satisfied that such benefit would accrue and, to assist with the transitional costs of merger, SHEFC will, as usual, provide strategic change grant of about £4.9 million. Those funds will be offset in the medium to longer term from financial economies that arise from the merger.

I see that members have no questions. As the order is subject to the negative procedure, all that we have to do is consider any issues that may arise. We have read the instrument and the Subordinate Legislation Committee's comments, which we hope the Executive will take into consideration in future. I thank the Executive witnesses for attending. Do members agree that we have no recommendations to make on the order?

Members indicated agreement.