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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-28468

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to improve the quality of its statistics on graduate destinations.

The data that the Scottish Executivecurrently holds on graduate destinations comes from two sources. Information ongraduates from Higher Education Institutions is provided by the Higher EducationStatistics Agency (HESA) from their Destination of Leavers from Higher Education(DLHE) survey. Information on graduates from Further Education Colleges is providedby the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and their First Destination of Graduates (FDG)survey.

The destination information currentlycollected gives details of graduates activities and location approximately six monthsafter graduating.

HESA have successfully piloteda longitudinal survey that aims to find out what graduates have been doing, overa longer period of time, since completing their studies. It will survey graduatesthree and a half years after graduation has been completed. The first full DLHELongitudinal survey will take place this winter. A sample of graduates from the2002-03 leaving cohort will be surveyed.

The FDG survey is currently carriedout by Scotland’s Further Education Colleges. The Scottish Funding Councilhas indicated that they are looking to implement a more standardised approach. Thiswill include internet access for students undertaking the survey. It is hoped tohave this structure in place next year, which would mean that students graduatingin 2007-08 would be the first to be influenced by this change.

Question reference: S2W-28480

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) mean, (b) mode and (c) median student loan debt is for Scottish borrowers who ceased to be students during 2006.

The following table shows themean, mode and median student loan debt for Scottish borrowers who entered repaymentin 2006:

Student Loan Debt for ScottishDomiciled Borrowers, as at 31 March 2006

	Student Loan Debt
Mode	£4,214
Median	£4,259
Mean	£5,891

Source: Student Loans Company.

It should be noted that debtis calculated at the point of entering repayment (i.e. 31 March 2006) ratherthan at the point of graduation. Therefore, the majority of customers who have ceasedto be students in 2006 will not enter repayment until 2007 and we cannot providefigures for these students as yet.

Question reference: S2W-28453

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how much is currently outstanding from the two tranches of student loan debts sold to banks in 1998 and 1999.

Question reference: S2W-28477

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will expand on the statement by the Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning on 14 September 2006 that “The Treasury in effect pays the loans” (Official Report, c. 27527).

Expenditure on student supportcan be split into two main categories. Expenditure from the Scottish Executive Budgetand expenditure from outwith Total Managed Expenditure i.e. funds which come directlyfrom HM Treasury and are outside the Scottish Executive Budget.

Expenditure from within the ExecutiveBudget includes the payment of tuition fees, grants, bursaries, SAAS running costsand costs associated with running the student loan schemes. This includes the studentloan subsidy, unwinding of student loan provisions and Student Loan Company administration.

Student Loan advances were madefrom outwith the Scottish Executive Budget and paid by HM Treasury and were outwithTotal Managed Expenditure.

Treasury has now re-classifiedstudent loan advances and repayments as Annual Managed Expenditure (AME) as from1 April 20006. This brings this net expenditure within the Scottish Executive’sTotal Managed Expenditure. All AME expenditure is met in full by Treasury.

Question reference: S2W-28463

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what factors have caused the fall in the Age Participation Index since 2001-02.

Question reference: S2W-28488

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to Consolidated Resource Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2005, why £38 million was received in student loan repayments when £29 million is shown as income applied for the Student Awards Agency for Scotland.

Question reference: S2W-28072

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average indebtedness to the Student Loans Company is of all Scottish-domiciled borrowers who graduated or otherwise ceased to borrow in 2006.

It is not possible to providean answer as those who graduate in 2006 and those who cease to borrow in 2006 enterrepayment in April 2007, therefore the figures are unavailable at this time. However,the following table shows the figures for graduates and others who entered repaymentin April. 2006.

	Product	Customer Count	Total Debt	Average Debt
All Borrowers	Income Contingent Loan	38,797	228,541,774.65	5,890.71

Question reference: S2W-28605

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 6 October 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Healthlink service bus link between West Lothian and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh will be registered under the Executive’s concessionary travel scheme so that pensioners can travel free for appointments and to visit relatives in hospital.

Although the Healthlink servicebus link runs two daily trips between West Lothian and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh,passengers must pre-book before travelling or the service will not run. It is notan eligible service under the terms of the Scotland-wide free bus travel schemefor older and disabled people and we have no plans to include non-registered servicesin the scheme.

While concessionary cardholdersare therefore not entitled to free travel on the service, they are eligible fora reduced return fare, which is currently £2.

Question reference: S2W-28417

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 28 September 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities it has met to discuss the recommendations of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland in respect of the 2007 election.

I have not met anyauthorities to discuss the Commission’s recommendations. As indicated in myanswer to question S2W-27919 on 13 September 2006, I met West LothianCouncil to better understand their proposals submitted during the six week periodfollowing publication of the Commission’s recommendations.All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliaments website, the search facility forwhich can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Question reference: S2W-28413

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 September 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 28 September 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many electoral arrangement orders have been submitted to it by the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland for the 2007 election.