Inquiry into SNP class-size pledge

Published on Tuesday 8 December 2009 21:44

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond will be investigated over whether he misled parliament on class sizes, after he asked Holyrood's former presiding officers to look at the allegation.

A complaint was made by former Labour education minister Hugh Henry after it emerged that a senior civil servant advised ministers in July 2007 that the SNP pledge to reduce P1 to P3 class sizes to 18 was undeliverable.

Despite this, Mr Salmond answered a question from Mr Henry in September 2007 in parliament that the pledge would be met by the next election in 2011.

The First Minister has since claimed that the advice was received by his former education secretary, Fiona Hyslop, but was not passed on to him.

Ms Hyslop was demoted last week after it emerged that P1 to P3 class sizes were growing again and the number of teachers had reduced by more than 2,000 since the SNP came to power in May 2007.

Mr Salmond set up the committee of former presiding officers – Lord David Steel and George Reid – to act as neutral arbiters on whether the ministerial code of practice has been broken.

Only Mr Salmond can make referrals to them and they can only provide advice on whether the code has been breached.

The final decision rests with the First Minister.