Principals in fresh plea for support

UNIVERSITY principals in Scotland last night warned the Scottish Government it must maintain investment in the sector despite expected funding cuts from Westminster.

Professor Bernard King, convener of Universities Scotland, said: "Significant cuts to university funding would undoubtedly put economic growth worth many millions at risk.

"Scotland stands to lose far more than it will save."

He welcomed MSPs' promises to support universities but the Abertay University principal asked them to put their money where their mouth was.

He said: "We need action as well as words. We need the parliament's full support for sustaining universities' role in Scotland's success - the wrong decisions over the coming weeks could irreversibly damage one of Scotland's leading assets."

He spoke after it emerged universities in England face funding cuts of 4.2bn in the coming Spending Review at Westminster next week.

Universities UK head Professor Steve Smith wrote to vice-chancellors saying this week's Browne review set out figures that "confirm our worst fears".

The review of higher education funding in England concluded the cap on tuition fees should be lifted and they should be allowed to charge what they like. However, he also said students in England should not have to pay loan fees back until they were earning more than the current threshold.

Prof Smith said Browne would mean a 3.2bn or 79 per cent cut from teaching and 1bn from research in next week's spending review.

However, it is not yet known how such a cut would affect university funding in Scotland.

It could mean less money for the overall Scotland budget through the Barnett formula. But if Browne's recommendations are implemented in England, the cuts may not affect Scotland.