- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many student loans debts have been written off and what the total cash value was of the deleted debt in each of the last five years.
Answer
Figures are not available separately for years prior to 1999 and the figure given for that year includes some cases written off in previous years.I am advised by the Student Loans Company that the breakdown requested is as follows:
| Financial Year | Type of Loan | Total Number of Loans Written Off | Value Written Off |
| 1999 | Mortgage Style | 205 | £409,162 |
| Income Contingent | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 205 | £409,162 |
| 2000 | Mortgage Style | 97 | £209,661 |
| Income Contingent | 6 | £ 19,102 |
| Total | 103 | £228,762 |
| 2001 | Mortgage Style | 187 | £247,415 |
| Income Contingent | 13 | £ 74,330 |
| Total | 200 | £321,745 |
| 2002 | Mortgage Style | 261 | £497,624 |
| Income Contingent | 19 | £ 85,606 |
| Total | 280 | £583,231 |
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive under what circumstances the student loan debt of a student would be written off.
Answer
Under the mortgage-style student loan system introduced in 1990, loans are repaid over a fixed period of five or seven years and will be written off when the borrower reaches 60 years old (or 50 if they received their last loan before they were 40 and the loan has been outstanding for at least 25 years).Under the current Income Contingent Repayment scheme introduced in 1998-99, student loans are repayable at a fixed rate on the marginal income above the threshold of £10,000 and will be written off when the borrower is 65 years old.Under both systems the student loan debt will be written off if the borrower dies or receives a disability related benefit because he or she is permanently unable to work.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 2 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the most recent annual figures are for successful prosecutions under section 76 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976 on selling alcoholic liquor to a drunken person and the penalties imposed, broken down by sheriffdom.
Answer
No such prosecutions were brought under section 76 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976 on selling alcoholic liquor to a drunken person during the year 2002-03. A total of nine reports of such offences were received from the police by procurators fiscal across the country.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 27 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the details of reported health and safety incidents affecting the public in each of the last four years in each NHS trust, broken down by category of reported incident.
Answer
Details on health and safety incidents affecting the public in each of the last four years in each NHS trust, broken down by category of reported incident are not centrally available.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 March 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will discuss with the Health and Safety Executive whether any regulations governing school students learning technical skills in school or during work experience should be revised.
Answer
In its response last week to Determined to Succeed - a Review of Enterprise in Education, the Scottish Executive agreed to commission from Learning and Teaching Scotland, improved guidance and support materials for work experience. Among the issues addressed in such guidance will be health and safety for pupils on work experience. Health and safety at work is a reserved matter and falls within the remit of the Health and Safety Executive. The Scottish Executive will therefore discuss with the Health and Safety Executive and the UK Government any proposed changes to the existing guidance or regulations emerging from any review.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 March 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will amend regulations in order to enable schools to negotiate with employers for appropriate school students to have part of their education learning a trade at the employers' premises.
Answer
Many pupils in Scottish schools already take part in vocational training at employers' premises. It is our intention to greatly increase the number of such placements, through the major expansion of our Enterprise in Education programme. Indeed, the Executive will commit at least £40 million over the first three years of Enterprise in Education to ensure all pupils in Scotland can derive benefit from its opportunities. One of our key objectives will be the delivery of an expanded programme of work-based vocational learning. Additionally, the Executive will commission from Learning and Teaching Scotland work on improving existing guidance and support materials for work experience.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 21 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to fund managing agents on an equal basis in respect of all students entering modern apprenticeships, regardless of their age.
Answer
This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 21 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to fund modern apprenticeships to the same level that they are funded in England.
Answer
The level of funding contributions for modern apprenticeships is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The Scottish Executive recently allocated an additional £25 million over three years to the enterprise networks for modern apprenticeships and other work-based learning.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 March 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide increased and ring-fenced funding to schools for their technical departments.
Answer
The Scottish Executive currently has no such plans.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Monday, 10 March 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for the second stage of the review of initial teacher education and who will be commissioned to carry it out.
Answer
An appropriate remit, which addresses all the key issues, is currently being developed for the review. This development work includes a scoping review conducted by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education, which was announced by the Minister for Education and Young People in October 2002. This scoping review work will be completed and presented to ministers following 1 May 2003. Thereafter, the 2nd stage of the review is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2003. The process by which the review will be conducted, including by whom, is yet to be decided and will depend on the outcome of the scoping work.
