- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 September 2011
-
Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of introducing a funding floor for local authorities.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2011
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 6 September 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will make available to local authorities to support the development of cycle paths.
Answer
In 2011-12, the Scottish Government made available £7.458 million in Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets (CWSS) grants to local authorities, who can if they wish, add to this from their own resources, if the development of cycle paths is a priority in their area. Both last year and this year, the CWSS grant offer letter asked local authorities to spend at least 36% (the national average spend on cycling) but preferably 50%, of the grant on cycling related projects.
In addition, the Scottish Government has allocated £5.167 million to Sustrans for the development of cycle and shared use paths. Local authorities are also able to bid for this funding if they are able to match it from their own resources.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 July 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 4 August 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review its estimate of the funding gap facing Scottish universities in light of the announcement from the Office for Fair Access that the average tuition fee in England will be greater than £8,000.
Answer
We will continue to work with universities to maintain and enhance the excellence of Scottish higher education whilst ensuring that access remains free.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 July 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 4 August 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how much additional money it will invest in widening access initiatives in 2012-13 and each of the following three years.
Answer
As outlined in my statement to Parliament on the 16 June, I will set out a wider package of reforms on post-16 education later this year. Any changes to funding for widening access initiatives would be brought forward next year as part of this exercise.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 June 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 July 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to redistribute any proportion of the monies raised by one university from students from the rest of the United Kingdom to other universities.
Answer
We have asked the Scottish Funding Council to work with Universities Scotland and NUS Scotland to develop a system that ensures the sector as a whole benefits from the proposed new fee and funding arrangements for students who usually live in other parts of the UK.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 June 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 25 July 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage increase in the total funding, in cash terms, available to Scottish universities will be by 2014-15.
Answer
This will be determined as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 21 July 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many travel concession passes have been issued to injured veterans in each year since 2007.
Answer
Applications for free bus travel are categorised as over 60, disabled, disabled plus companion, visually impaired and visually impaired plus companion.
The exact number of passes issued specifically to injured veterans is not recorded and cannot be reported upon.
However, Transport Scotland have been in discussion with the National Entitlement Card Programme Office and the Improvement Service regarding the possibility of capturing additional data at the point of application in order to be in a position to provide more detailed information in the future.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 June 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 21 July 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the fees charged to students from the rest of the United Kingdom studying at universities in Scotland will be indexed in line with inflation.
Answer
The proposals in our consultation would allow Scottish universities to set their own fees for students who normally live in another part of the UK. We will bring forward proposals to set an upper limit of £9,000 for such students in due course.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 June 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 21 July 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish universities will keep the entire sum of tuition fees charged to students from the rest of the United Kingdom.
Answer
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 20 July 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to award scholarships for children of military personnel who have been killed on active duty and what level of funding it will allocate.
Answer
The First Minister announced further and higher education bursaries for the children of fallen Scottish service personnel at the Armed Forces day in Edinburgh on Saturday 25 June 2011.
Bursaries between £1,500 and £8,240 a year per person are intended to help young people who have lost parents in action to attend college or university.
The scheme has been introduced retrospectively to all eligible applicants from academic year 2010-11 onwards.