Whether it will return further education colleges to the control of local authorities; whether this will produce greater accountability and…

Answered Asked by Rosemary Byrne SSP Lodged 19 Jun 2003

The question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will return further education colleges to the control of local authorities; whether this will produce greater accountability and financial control than at present, and what the benefit will be of the Scottish Further Education Funding Council engaging consultants to conduct a benchmarking exercise to compare college costs.

The answer

Answered by Jim Wallace on 15 Jul 2003 · 26 days after it was lodged, on time

There is no question of the Scottish Executive seeking to give local authorities control of Scotland's incorporated further education colleges. I am satisfied that the existing statutory framework ensures proper accountability and financial control.The Scottish Further Education Funding Council is the statutory body responsible for funding further education colleges. Operational matters such as whether the council should engage consultants for a particular purpose is a matter for the council itself.

In the Official Report

No contribution in the Official Report cites S2W-00983 by reference.