Chamber and committees

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-28466

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 many higher education students domiciled in Scotland there were in Scottish institutions in each year since 1999-2000.

Number of Scottish domiciledhigher education students in Scottish institutions: 1999-2000 to 2004-05

Year	Total Number of Students
1999-2000	203,790
2000-01	206,580
2001-02	211,075
2002-03	203,205
2003-04	205,965
2004-05	206,550

Sources: Higher Education StatisticsAgency (HESA) and Scottish Funding Council (SFC)

Note:

1. Numbers have been roundedto the nearest five to protect confidentiality.

2. Numbers include higher educationstudents studying in Scottish higher education institutions or Scottish furthereducation colleges.

The data above includes thosestudying at sub-degree, degree or postgraduate level in the given academic year.

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-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-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-28490

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 graduate endowment income has been spent since it became available.

Question reference: S2W-28489

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, what factors caused the Student Awards Agency for Scotland's underspend to be less than predicted on student fees, support through the Quigley agreement, resource aspects of student loans and other schemes.

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-28418

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 for which local authorities it has still to approve electoral arrangement orders submitted by the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland, also indicating the length of time since these orders were submitted.

The Local GovernmentBoundary Commission for Scotland submitted their report on the North LanarkshireCouncil Area on 22 August. This is still within the 6 week period during whichno decisions can be made. Information on other local authority areas for whichan Electoral Arrangements Order has yet to be made (information correct as of22 September) is detailed in the following table:

Local Authority	Date Report Submitted by Commission
Aberdeen City	1 August 2006
City of Edinburgh	17 July 2006
Fife	13 June 2006
Glasgow City	27 July 2006
Highland	27 July 2006
Na h-Eileanan an Iar	10 April 2006
Renfrewshire	7 August 2006
Scottish Borders	3 July 2006
Shetland Islands	10 April 2006
West Dunbartonshire	17 July 2006
West Lothian	6 June 2006

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.