In "A Partnership for a Better Scotland", the Scottish
Executive reinforced its commitment to the merger of the
Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC) and the
Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC). A
comprehensive consultation process was undertaken to fulfil
this commitment.
A Consultation Paper entitled 'Merger A Changing
Landscape for Tertiary Education and Research in Scotland'
and Draft Bill were published on 30 April 2004. The period
for receipt of written responses ended on 15 July 2004.
Seventy-eight written responses were received. A summary of
these responses has been produced, and the consultation
responses have been published in full, where permission has
been given to do so.
The Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Bill was
introduced to Parliament on 1 October. The Bill and
accompanying documents are available on the Scottish
Parliament website at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/bills/billsInProgress/furtherEd.htm
The Bill includes a provision to extend the remit of the
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman to colleges and higher
education institutions. This provision was included
following a separate consultation process. A link to the
Executive response to the consultation is provided.
Also included on this site is links to all the responces
we have recieved to the consultation paper.