§ Mr. Home Robertsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the scale of the proposed cut in public funding for the advisory services of the Scottish agricultural colleges in 1986–87.
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§ Mr. John MacKayNo reduction in the public funding of the advisory services provided by the Scottish agricultural colleges is planned for 1986–87.
§ Mr. Home Robertsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his policy towards the proposal that the three Scottish agricultural colleges should be combined within a unified structure, with particular reference to the financial arrangements if any one of the colleges were to remain outside the proposed new structure.
§ Mr. John MacKay[pursuant to his reply, 13 March 1986, c. 550]: As indicated in the consultation paper on the agricultural advisory services in Scotland, issued by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, Ministers support the proposal by the Council of Scottish Agricultural Colleges to form a new company which would have overall responsibility for the management of all the services provided by the three Scottish agricultural colleges.
The colleges have yet to finalise on the proposal; it is premature therefore to speculate on how the detailed arrangements, including those relating to funding, might apply in different circumstances, whatever these may be.