Education bodies to come under scrutiny

The spending of some of Scotland’s most expensive public bodies will come under the scrutiny of MSPs, it has been announced.

The Scottish parliament’s Education and Culture committee will examine spending and outcomes of Creative Scotland, Education Scotland, the Scottish Qualifications Authority, Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council, who have today been invited to submit evidence to the committee.

The bodies control budgets of between £40m and over £1bn of public money.

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Among the specific work to be investigated by the committee include Education Scotland’s relationship with schools and councils, the Scottish Funding Council’s record on widening access and the effectiveness of Creative Scotland’s funding structures.

Committee convener Stewart Maxwell said: “The bodies play a major role in public life and it is important that they demonstrate how effectively they are spending public money.

“It is important we ask the difficult questions to a range of these bodies. This will allow us to better understand the functions and how they work, both individually and together. We will follow up with the Scottish Government the key points that emerge from our discussions.”

Five separate committee meetings will be held with these bodies in the autumn, before the Scottish Government publishes its 2016-17 Draft Budget.