University service receives exam results

Staff will now check Standard Grades

All Higher results for university applicants have now been received by the admissions service Ucas.

Officials were working through the information on Friday.

But because Monday is an English bank holiday, school pupils will not receive letters confirming they have won a university place until the middle of next week.

Ucas is advising pupils waiting for information to contact it directly.

Ministers say Mr Galbraith should stay

The Scottish Qualifications Authority says it hopes to have checked all the remaining Higher results by the end of Friday.

It will then turn its attention to the Standard Grades and intermediate results, which are also to be checked by staff.

Meanwhile, a Conservative attempt to have a of no confidence in Education Minister Sam Galbraith debated in the Scottish Parliament looks to have little chance of success.

Tory members say Mr Galbraith has lost credibility over the exams fiasco and should quit.

The Conservatives want the motion debated as soon as the parliament returns in just over a week's time.

'Gesture politics'

But it is looking unlikely that the party will be able to persuade six other MSPs to support them.

The Scottish National Party's education spokesman Nicola Sturgeon described the move as "gesture politics".

The SNP argues that the motion will solidify Scottish Executive support behind Mr Galbraith - while failing to get to the core of the problem.

Ministers are continuing to insist that Mr Galbraith need not resign.

Nicola Sturgeon: "Gesture politics"

Labour's coalition partners have now stepped into the row, with the Liberal Democrats saying that the education committee's inquiry must restore the reputation of Scotland's education system.

BBC Scotland's political editor Brian Taylor says most MSPs want to concentrate on the committee's full-scale investigation.

Mr Galbraith will tough it out at least until that committee has completed its work - and would only be obliged to resign if blame could be laid directly at his department's door.

Our correspondent says some are privately speculating that a reshuffle may be needed if only to signal the seriousness of the affair.