Inverness College

Question Time — Scottish Executive – in the Scottish Parliament at 2:25 pm on 16 September 1999.

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Photo of Mary Scanlon Mary Scanlon Conservative 2:25, 16 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to assist Inverness College, which faces a deficit of £4 million, in providing high-quality further and higher education. (S1O-331)

Photo of Henry McLeish Henry McLeish Labour

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.

Earlier this month that college informed the council about the scale of the financial position that it faces. It is engaging with the college to consider as a matter of priority what action is required by the college's board of management to address the situation.

Photo of Mary Scanlon Mary Scanlon Conservative

Does the minister agree that considering redundancies to reduce costs—as the principal of the college must do—will reduce the number of courses on offer, reduce the number of students and reduce potential income, and will lead to greater deficits in the future?

Photo of Henry McLeish Henry McLeish Labour

The college must obviously address the serious financial issues that it faces. It is working with the funding council to ensure that that is done, through consolidation of finances in the short term, to ensure that the £4 million deficit will not be repeated.

It is up to the management of the college to think through all that that involves, and I sincerely hope that the management will take a positive view to ensure that the coverage of courses, access to courses and the quality of the further education that the college provides will not be undermined.

It is important to emphasise that extra money has been given to the Scottish Further Education Funding Council to ensure that we consolidate college finances and improve the quality of management, a review of which is taking place.

I hope that, with good will, those outstanding issues and difficulties can be resolved and that the college can move forward more positively.