Scotland Pounds 3.4 billion boost

Scotland has won a Pounds 3.4 billion boost for the next three years, hailed by Scotland's finance minister Jack McConnell as the highest ever level of spending on services north of the border.

The Scottish Executive is due to present a draft budget for the coming year by the end of September. Mr McConnell said the executive would fully use the extra resources available for education to deliver institutions built for the needs of the 21st century, along with the teaching resources and equipment to match those facilities.