FROM OUR ARCHIVES

5 YEARS AGO

More than one-third of pupils caught cheating during exams have been let off with a warning, according to the Scottish Tories. However, the exam authorities dispute the claim, insisting nobody is allowed to gain an unfair advantage by their actions. Figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives reveal that over the past four years, 35 per cent of exam candidates who engaged in “malpractice” were given a ticking off, according to the party’s education spokeswoman Mary Scanlon, List MSP for Highlands and Islands.

10 YEARS AGO

Judges in Scotland receive almost half the amount of annual training days as their counterparts in England and Wales and need to be given more time off for professional development, according to senior members of the judiciary. Sheriff Frank Crowe, director of the Judicial Studies Committee (JSC), which provides the training for Scotland’s judiciary, has called for training to be made more of a priority. The committee’s own reports explain that Scotland’s judiciary trails behind many other nations in the amount of time they spend in training.

25 YEARS AGO

High-flying NHS managers in Scotland will receive large pay rises next year, according to an internal Scottish Office circular. Top grades who meet maximum performance targets will be able to earn £100,000, an increase of about £20,000 on current ceilings, as a result of changes which take effect this month. It sets out two scales where managers in the old-style NHS units are on lower rates than those in the new trusts and purchasing health boards. It also makes clear that they will be required to toe the management executive’s line.