It’s the week in which Scotland’s finance secretary Kate Forbes got branded “Thatcher” for a spending review with harsh consequences for public services. Scotland’s census continued to limp along past the already-extended deadline, while critics feared it would be a dud for useful information. And we discuss a special investigation from our colleagues looking at autism in education, including a chat with SNP schools secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville.

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Subscribe to the Courier or Press and Journal today to stay up to date on Local and Scottish news. Go to www.thecourier.co.uk/subscribe/ or www.pressandjournal.co.uk/subscribe/ to get unlimited access to the news that matters to you.