- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21398 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 18 January 2002, why information on the average period students spend in default on their student loans and the average charge applicable to these defaults is not available or could only be obtained at disproportionate cost and whether it will, from now, collate this information centrally, detailing the reasons behind its decision.
Answer
Information on individual student loan accounts is held by the Student Loans Company. The analysis requested could only be obtained by examining the loan accounts of each individual borrower who had been in default. The company advises that such an exercise could only be undertaken at disproportionate cost.We have no plans to collate this information centrally, as this would require the Executive to hold duplicate records to those of the Student Loans Company.Officials from the department would be happy to meet with you to discuss data collection and the information that is available.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21395 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 18 January 2002, why a breakdown of the number of academic staff at further education colleges with a recognised teaching qualification is not held on a per college and subject category basis centrally and whether it will, from now, collate this information centrally, detailing the reasons behind its decision.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not directly collect statistics related to further education. This is the responsibility of the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC). Following Scottish Executive policy guidance, SFEFC has set out in its Corporate Plan targets for increase in percentage of academic college staff with a recognised teaching qualification, and has made £2.75 million available to colleges this academic year for investment in staff development. The Scottish Executive looks to the council to monitor progress within the further education sector towards these targets.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-21381 and S1W-21382 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 18 January 2002, whether it will detail any duty of care it has with regard to students attending further and higher education establishments.
Answer
Further and higher education establishments are legally autonomous bodies which carry their own liabilities regarding duties of care in respect of students.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21388 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 18 January 2002, what difficulties would arise in terms of the potential identification of individuals and whether it will detail how the Data Protection Act 1998 would impact on, or prevent any collation of, information on students with disabilities.
Answer
In the Data Protection Act 1998, stricter conditions apply to the processing of sensitive data, which includes information relating to health. The Executive's current policy is that figures should not be disclosed where the relevant population is less than or equal to five and greater than or equal to one, due to the potential for identification of individuals.The tables requested in the original question (S1W-21388) were at such a detailed level that disclosing a number of the figures would have breached this policy.Officials from the department would be happy to meet with you to discuss data collection and the information that is available.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21394 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 18 January 2002, why information on the number of staff at higher education establishments who were required to take compulsory retirement is not collected and whether it will, from now, collate this information centrally, detailing the reasons behind its decision.
Answer
The Higher Education Statistics Agency does not collect information on the number of staff required to take compulsory retirement. Officials from the department would be happy to meet with you to discuss data collection and the information that is available.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive , further to the answers to questions S1W-21381 and S1W-21382 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 18 January 2002, whether any legal impediments exist which prevent it from directing further and higher education establishments on their grievance and appeals procedures and, if so, whether it will detail these impediments.
Answer
In respect of further education colleges, section 21 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 enables the Scottish ministers to give college boards of management directions of a general or specific character with regard to the discharge of their functions. This power must be exercised reasonably. Ministers have no corresponding powers to give such directions to the governing bodies of higher education institutions.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21385 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 18 January 2002, why it does not earmark a particular portion of funding which it makes available to the Scottish Funding Councils for Further and Higher Education for student welfare purposes and whether it will, from now, hypothecate monies for this purpose, detailing the reasons behind its decision.
Answer
Funding for student welfare services is a matter for institutions themselves. Such services are funded from institutions' income, which derives from a number of sources including funding from the funding councils. The Scottish Funding Councils decide how funds should be disbursed to institutions.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21385 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 18 January 2002, why the Scottish Funding Councils for Further and Higher Education do not specifically distribute funds for welfare services and why the funding of welfare services is a matter for individual institutions.
Answer
The question why the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Councils do not specifically distribute funds for welfare services is one for the funding councils themselves. The further and higher education institutions are autonomous bodies.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21385 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 18 January 2002, what advice or instruction it has provided to (a) further and higher education institutions and (b) the Scottish Funding Councils for Further and Higher Education regarding the funding of welfare services and whether it will place a copy of any such advice or instructions in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
None.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21388 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 18 January 2002, why the information on the number of full- and part-time students at universities and further education colleges designated as having a physical disability could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Answer
The Scottish Further Education Funding Council only commenced collecting data on college students with disabilities from 2000-01 academic year. The collated figures should be available this spring. In higher education institutions, the Higher Education Statistics Agency collects information on disability, some of which was provided in the answer to question S1W-21388. It is the department's assessment that this information broken down further to the levels of course classification, and displayed as percentages for the last five years, could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Officials from the department would be happy to meet with you to discuss data collection and the information that is available.
