§ Mr. Norman HoggTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are his plans for the future of the Scottish Joint Negotiating Committee for Further Education; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RifkindIn the Government's view the 40-strong statutory committee has proved a cumbersome and ineffective forum for negotiating the pay and conditions of academic staff in the local authority further education colleges and in the centrally-funded colleges.
In large measure this seems to be because the two sectors have different funding sources, the staff have different conditions of service and the pressures facing management are different. Over the last six years management and staff sides have done their best to 746W fund a Government-sponsored seismological survey using the latest available techniques in order to establish the oil and gas potential around the Falkland Islands.