§ Mr. Corrieasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has reached a decision on the future organisational arrangements for the Scottish microelectronics development programme.
§ Mr. YoungerFollowing discussion with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and other interested bodies, I have asked the Scottish Council for Educational Technology (SCET) to form a new committee with a broad remit to co-ordinate all aspects of microelectronics in education and to advise me, local authorities and other organisations as appropriate; the Scottish microelectronics development programme (SMDP) will become the executive arm of this new committee while retaining its own identity within the overall SCET organisation. It is hoped that the new committee, which will be widely representative of educational interests, will be established in November of this year.
I am grateful to the SCET board of governors for agreeing to undertake this extension of their activities, which will facilitate the continued development of the important work carried out by SMDP.