Chamber and committees

Local authorities operate discretionary concessionary travel schemes under the provisions of the Transport Act 1985. Those provisions enable authorities, if they so wish, to provide concessionary travel arrangements to people accompanying blind travellers. Central government support for concessionary travel arrangements is made available through the local authority Grant Aided Expenditure settlement.In addition, the national free concessionary travel scheme for blind people in Scotland - a voluntary partnership between the Scottish Executive, local authorities, Strathclyde Passenger Transport and rail, bus and ferry companies - provides free travel concessions for all journeys within Scotland.

The Scottish Studentship Scheme (SSS) provides awards for Scottish domiciled students undertaking advanced postgraduate study in the Arts and Humanities. The SSS is currently administered by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS). From academic year 2002-03, funding for the scheme (approximately £1.6 million per year) will be transferred from SAAS to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC). This will enable SHEFC to contract out to the Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB) for the provision of these awards in line with the arrangement which applies in England and Wales.

We are continuing to operate the financial monitoring and administrative management systems set up when Individual Learning Accounts were first established. In light of the DfES decision, we have reviewed current arrangements and introduced an additional layer of checks.

The Post Office and postal services are reserved matters. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues.

Pupils' e-mail addresses are provided by education authorities as part of the development of the National Grid for Learning in their schools. This development has been supported by £79.6 million from the Scottish Executive since 1999.The Executive wrote to all education authorities in March 2001 to make it clear that use of class rather than individual e-mail addresses may be appropriate for younger pupils in the light of concerns about Internet safety.

I chaired the first meeting of the shadow Ministerial Joint Supervisory Group on 27 August. We discussed the strategic barriers and opportunities presented by our vision for Careers Scotland, with a view to considering these at our next meeting. Additionally, the Enterprise networks have now appointed members to all 22 Local Advisory Boards of Careers Scotland in accordance with guidelines issued by the Executive.Full details of the Ministerial Joint Supervisory Group (Bib. number 16775) and Local Advisory Boards' membership, covering the Scottish Enterprise area (Bib number 16776) and Highlands and Islands (Bib. number 16778) have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

I am today announcing the commencement of a Review of Higher Education in Scotland with the issue of a first stage consultation paper. This paper focuses on the past performance of the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) as part of its quinquennial review. It also invites comment on issues on the future context in which SHEFC could be expected to operate to inform a second stage, wider ranging consultation in the New Year. The review will be concluded around May 2002. Copies of the consultation paper have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 16611).

The IRIS Unit has discussed over 100 regulations with other departments, encouraged the use of the Enforcement Concordat and in February the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning announced enhancements to the Executive's improving regulation strategy, such as the introduction of Review Regulatory Impact Assessments. The unit has also pursued over 170 enquiries from businesses and many of the concerns, such as on licensing and planning, have been addressed by the Executive.

The proportion of women and mature students continues to grow with women students accounting for 54% and mature students for 45% of all HE students in Scotland.For 1998-99, 18% of young full-time undergraduate entrants in higher education and further education in Scotland were from low participation areas, compared with 17% the previous year. This compares very favourably with the UK average of 13%.

There were 52,175 graduates and diplomates from higher education courses in Scotland in 1996-97. Information is not available on the numbers completing further education courses in Scotland.The latest year for which data on entrants is available is 1999-2000. In that year there were 133,061 entrants to higher education courses in Scotland. 353,136 were classed as being in their first year of a further education course.