- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 7 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many mature students received the maximum available mature students' bursary in each year since the scheme started.
Answer
Individual colleges and universities are asked to report back to the Student Awards Agency each year with information on the individual awards they have made under the Mature Students' Bursary Scheme. Not all returns have yet been received in relation to the first year of the scheme's operation (2001-02).
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 7 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made on its commitment to consider undertaking a survey in association with the Student Awards Agency for Scotland and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council in respect of recommendation 4 of the Independent Committee of Inquiry into Student Finance, referred to in Annex A of Scotland the Learning Nation: Helping Students; when the report of such a survey will be published, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
We intend to undertake a specific income and expenditure survey of Scottish further and higher education students during 2003.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 7 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether graduating students will have less debt following the implementation of its new student support schemes; what the reasons are for the position on this matter, and what the is of the number of students that will benefit in each academic year to 2007-08.
Answer
The rates of student loan support and the thresholds for parental or spouse contributions have been set in such a way that no graduating student should have more debt under the new student support arrangements than they would have had under the previous system. Almost all young students are expected to have less debt under the new arrangements.The number of students who will benefit from the new arrangements in each academic year to 2007-08 will depend upon the numbers applying to undertake higher education courses. The extent to which each will benefit from the new arrangements will depend upon their personal circumstances.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 7 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria it uses to determine the level of funding that it will provide each year under the mature students' bursary scheme.
Answer
The overall level of funding is based on the proportion of the student population expected to be eligible for support under Mature Students Bursary Fund (MSBF). Funds are redistributed from the Hardship Funds on the basis of the proportion of the higher education student population in universities and colleges which started courses since 2001-02. Allocations are then made to each institution on the basis of the proportion of their student population which is assessed by the Student Awards Agency as being independent of parental contribution or which receives a supplementary allowance in respect of their having dependent children or of their being a lone parent. Each of these three criteria is given equal weight. An additional allocation is made to provide each institution with a contribution towards the costs of administering and publicising the bursary. Each receives a basic amount (£750 in the current year) with the balance of the total (£200,000 in the current year) allocated to each based on the size of their MSBF allocation.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 6 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it receives from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
Answer
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects information annually from each higher education institution (HEI) in the UK (including teacher training courses). The Scottish Executive receives the information collected from HEIs, via HESA, in respect of students, graduate destinations, staff and finance. Details of the information collected by HESA can be obtained on their website:
http://www.hesa.ac.uk/
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 6 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what higher and further education institutions operated a waiting list for counselling services in each year since 1995 and from what source it obtained this information.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32694 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 6 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time equivalent (FTE) students there have been on average for each FTE counsellor in higher and further education institutions in each year since 1995 and from what source it obtained this information.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations it has had with Her Majesty's Government on student funding.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with Her Majesty's Government on a range of student funding issues.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 11 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31347 by Lewis Macdonald on 25 November 2002, why it did not detail what powers it has to introduce legislation in regard to bringing in charges on the existing trunk road network and whether it will rule out introducing any such legislation; why, in the answer, it referred me to the answer to question S1W-30960 by Lewis Macdonald on 6 November 2002 that relates solely to the A80/M80 and states that there is no legislation in place that would permit toll charges on the trunk road network, and whether it will clarify its position in relation to the information sought in S1W-31347.
Answer
The answer given to question S1W-30960 refers to the legislative position as regards the whole trunk road network, and makes clear that there is no legislation in place that would permit charges to be introduced on the existing trunk road network. While the Executive has no current plans to introduce such legislation, we will continue to explore all available options for tackling congestion.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to its news release SEFD122/2002 of 11 November 2002, what investigations it has undertaken in order to ascertain how many private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts the protocol agreed with the Scottish Trades Union Congress will apply to between the date of the protocol coming into effect and 1 May 2003.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-31528 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
