Ministerial statement: Proposed school closures

Education Secretary Michael Russell has defended his involvement in proposed school closures in Argyll, on 12 January 2011.

Mr Russell was forced to make a statement to parliament after being accused of interfering in school closure plans in Argyll and Bute, the constituency he hopes to represent after the next election.

Mike Russell is currently a list MSP for the South of Scotland - but is contesting Argyll and Bute at the elections in May.

A leaked email disclosed that he had been advising SNP councillors in Argyll to oppose previous plans to close or merge twenty five schools.

It later emerged that he had also met concerned parents in the area.

The closure plan has since been shelved pending a review.

Opposition parties claimed Mr Russell should have been more cautious because of his role as Education Secretary.

Labour have already referred Mr Russell to the Scottish Parliament's Standards Commissioner and are using their parliamentary debate time tomorrow, to discuss the matter.

But parliamentarians met with a bullish minister who said he had followed the rules of conduct for MSPs.

Mr Russell said he only acted as a local candidate and that he made plain he would take no part in the final decision.

The minister also rejected demands for an apology, and announced the government has overruled plans for school closures at Carloway primary in Lewis and at Shelibost primary in Harris.