Current status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 5 October 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will direct the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council to investigate the reasons for the present funding deficit at Inverness College and to report to the Parliament with its findings.
Responsibility for the financial health and funding of all Scotland's further education colleges has, since 1 July, been a matter for the Scottish Further Education Funding Council. The Council was recently informed by the College about the scale of the financial position which it faces. It has engaged with the College to consider, as a matter of priority, what action requires to be taken by the College's Board of Management in order to address the situation, including the preparation of a financial recovery plan.I have asked the Council to report to me once it has considered the Board's recovery plan. I shall then write to Mr Ewing and a copy of the correspondence will be placed in SPICe.