Drop in university investment

ONE of the city's top academics has claimed investment in Scottish universities has fallen since devolution.

Professor Anton Muscatelli, convener of umbrella group Universities Scotland and principal of Heriot-Watt, will address the parliament's education committee tomorrow to tell them there has been a real-term drop of 0.2 per cent in the past year in cash for universities.

Universities Scotland has submitted evidence to the committee which says in 1999 the total Scottish Government budget was £16,213 billion and universities received £589 million – 3.63 per cent. In 2009-10, Scotland has £34,760.5 billion and universities will receive £1.1 billion – 3.16 per cent of the budget.

Prof Muscatelli said: "It is the case that the proportion of the Scottish Parliament's budget invested in higher education has fallen since devolution."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said Westminster had imposed the tightest settlement since devolution and that Holyrood was investing a higher proportion of its spending on Scotland's universities than the previous administration.