To ask the Scottish Executive why the grant-in-aid allocation for educational provision to the Scottish Agricultural College is being reduced in stages from £6.552 million in 2002-03 to £4.894 million in 2005-06.

The planned reduction in the grant-in-aid for education provision at the Scottish Agricultural College reflects a continuing reduction in student numbers at the college. Numbers have now fallen by around 40% over the last six years. As a consequence, the college’s level of education funding per student is substantially higher than other educational institutions.