§ Mr. McMasterTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the development of the Scottish agricultural colleges.
§ Sir Hector MonroThe Scottish agricultural college was established on 1 April 1990 by bringing together into a single structure the North of Scotland college of agriculture, the East of Scotland college of agriculture and the West of Scotland college. This was in keeping with one of the principal recommendations of the Williams committee of inquiry which reported in September 1989. The college continues to operate from three centres of study at Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Auchincruive near Ayr. The college's administrative headquarters were recently transferred from Perth to Edinburgh. The college is a private company controlled by a board of directors. It is funded by the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department—AFD—to provide agricultural education and advisory services and to conduct agricultural research and development. The directors of the college have made significant progress towards developing the college as a body with a single corporate identity and in developing new services for the agricultural and related industries. In the financial year 1990–91, the last complete year for which published accounts are available, income was £33.3 million, of which £18.6 million was AFD grant.