Seòmar agus comataidhean

The figures requested are inthe following table:

Stirling:

Year	Number (percentage) of School Leavers Entering Full-Time Higher or Further Education	Total Number of School Leavers in Stirling
2003-04	570 (54%)	1,060
2004-05	508 (49%)	1,046
2005-06	521 (51%)	1,031

 

Stirling Council were allocated £5.132 million in 2006-07 forthe maintenance of local roads through the local government finance distributionmethodology. This allocation is, however, neither a budget nor a spending targetfor the maintenance of local roads. It is simply a component used in distributingthe total block grant that the Scottish Executive provides to local authorities.It is for each local authority to decide how best to allocate the resulting overallblock grant across all their services, based on local needs and priorities.

Information on the number ofthree-year-olds in the Stirling local authority area that have benefited from nurseryeducation is not held centrally. The following table shows the number of registrationsfor pre-school education in Stirling of children in their ante-pre-school year since 2002.This is the closest equivalent measure.

Please note the following:

1. The numbers relate to childrenregistered with pre-school providers that are situated within Stirling, ratherthan children living in the Stirling council area.

2. Children are counted oncefor each centre they are registered with, and there is a possibility of some doublecounting.

2. The methodology used has differedacross years so the figures are not directly comparable.

3. Where pre-school centres didnot provide information, data have been imputed.

Table: Estimated number registrationsfor ante-pre-school education, Stirling Council

January 2002	814
January 2003	812
January 2004	879
January 2005	806
January 2006	852

 

I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows;

Funding for the provision ofaffordable housing in the Stirling parliamentary constituency in each year since 2003-04is detailed as follows:

Year	Total Amount1 (£ Million)
2003-04	4.227
2004-05	4.545
2005-06	3.438
2006-072	10.206
Total	22.416

Notes:

1. Includes Community OwnershipProgramme Early Action Funding.

2. Planned expenditure for 2006-07.

The Scottish Executive is stronglycommitted to the start up and growth of small businesses – in Stirling and throughoutScotland. Support for the sector is mainly a matter for the Enterprise Network, althoughdirect support from the Executive includes Regional Selective Assistance (RSA).RSA is the Executive’s main national grant scheme of financial assistance to industry,aimed at encouraging investment and job creation. It is a demand-led scheme andis available to small and medium-sized enterprises within 15 wards in the Stirlinglocal authority area. Details can be found on the RSA Scotland website (www.rsascotland.gov.uk).

The prevention or alleviationof homelessness, is a responsibility of Stirling Council. Stirling Council’s homelessnessstrategy outlines the action being taken by the council to prevent homelessnessand to alleviate the problems caused by homelessness. Stirling Council are undertakinga number of initiatives aimed at addressing the causes of homelessness within thearea, but also at ameliorating the impact of homelessness, making use of fundingprovided by the Executive. Stirling Councilis continuing to develop its homelessness prevention services by working with statutoryand voluntary agencies in its Homelessness Partnership.

The following table givesdetails of the net revenue expenditure on pre-primary education in Stirlingsince 2002. This information has only been supplied from 2002-03, as prior tothis date pre-school education was not included in the local government financesettlement. The change in the funding methodology used means that expenditurefigures are not comparable.

Stirling Council – Net Revenue Expenditure on Pre-PrimaryEducation

Year	£000
2002-031	4,140
2003-04	4,839
2004-05	4,862
2005-06	5,472

Source: LFR:1 Returns(Education).

The information requested isshown in the following table.

Year	Grant Aided Expenditure allocation (£m)	Per Pupil (£)
1999-2000	-	-
2000-01	-	-
2001-02	-	-
2002-03	2.576	1,295
2003-04	2.596	1,305
2004-05	2.741	1,378
2005-06	2.866	1,441
2006-07	2.885	1,450

Notes:

1. GrantAided Expenditure (GAE) figures are from the GAE Green Books for 2002-03 to2006-07. The pre-school pupil numbers represent the number of three and four yearolds, as provided by local authorities and used in the 2005-06 GAE Green Bookwhich formed the base year calculation for Spending Review 2004.

2. The GAE allocationsgiven above are neither budgets nor spending targets for the education service.They are simply a component used in distributing the total block grant that the Executive provides to local authorities. It is for each local authority todecide how best to allocate the resulting overall block grant across all theirservices, based on local needs and priorities.

3. Pre-schooleducation was not included in the local government finance settlement until2002-03.

The following table shows thenumber of graduates at post graduate and undergraduate level (first degree or subdegree) who were domiciled in the Stirling local authority area, studied at a UKhigher education institutions (HEIs) and were employed in Stirling six months aftergraduation. This information is available from a voluntary survey of students conductedsix months after graduation.

All graduates of Stirling domicilehave been included since to determine how many of them left their local authorityarea to study, and then returned to work in their local authority area requiresinformation which is not available centrally.

Number of Stirling DomiciledGraduates from UK HEIs Working in Stirling Six Months After Graduation

	Postgraduate	Undergraduate	Total
2002-03	35	120	155
2003-04	35	115	150
2004-05	40	135	175

Source: Higher EducationStatistics Agency.

Notes: The table includes full-timeand part-time students graduating from a postgraduate or undergraduate course ata UK HEIs, including the Open University. Students who continue their studies aftergraduation are not included. Work status may be permanent or temporary. All numbershave been rounded to the nearest five.

The information requested isshown in the following table.

	Grant Aided Expenditure Allocation (£ Million)	Per Pupil (£)
1999-2000	43.056	2,874
2000-01	44.223	2,952
2001-02	49.637	3,313
2002-03	54.996	3,671
2003-04	60.711	4,053
2004-05	66.909	4,466
2005-06	71.311	4,760
2006-07	72.828	4,861

Notes:

(i) Grant aided expenditure (GAE)allocations, derived from aggregating a number of sub-categories, are taken fromthe GAE Green Books for 1999-2000 to 2006-07. Pupil numbers (including pre-school,primary and secondary pupils) are as provided by local authorities and used in the2005-06 GAE Green Book which formed the base year calculation for Spending Review2004.

(ii) The GAE allocations givenare neither budgets nor spending targets for the education service. They are simplyone group of components used in distributing the total block grant that the Executiveprovides to local authorities. It is for each local authority to decide how bestto allocate the resulting overall block grant across all their services, based onlocal needs and priorities.