Scottish academics to challenge minister

* The Association of University Teachers Scotland is set to attack the outcome of the comprehensive spending review during its first meeting with Scottish education minister Helen Liddell on Monday.

The union will tell Mrs Liddell of the "damaging effects of the funding crisis in Scottish higher education", including the loss of 325 posts at Glasgow University and potential compulsory redundancies at the University of Abertay Dundee unless it can win restructuring funds.

The AUTS challenges the Scottish Office claim of an extra Pounds 230 million for Scottish higher education, and calculates that the extra cash over the next three years is only Pounds 113 million.