Questions and answers

Question reference: S4W-19314

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the rate of economically inactive women is, broken down by level of qualification.

The Annual Population Survey provides the preferred measure for detailed labour market information for subsets of the population in Scotland. The latest data covers the period from October 2012 to September 2013.

Female economic inactivity rate by qualification

Qualification	Economic inactivity rate
Degree, Professional Qualification	15.7%
HNC/HND or equivalent	21.4%
Higher, A-Level or Equivalent	26.1%
Credit Standard grade or Equivalent	30.8%
General Standard Grade or Equivalent	41.7%
Other qualifications	35.3%
No qualifications	57.4%
All	28.2%

Source: Annual Population Survey, October 2012 to September 2013, Office for National Statistics

Notes:

1. Rates based on female population aged 16-64

2. Rates are calculated on unrounded figures

3. Rates for all excludes those who didn’t know or didn’t answer

Question reference: S4W-19340

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 5 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the number of people in Scotland in receipt of (a) child tax credits, (b) childcare vouchers and (c) childcare tax relief and the total amount paid.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) publish bi-annual statistics on provisional awards for child tax credit, available at link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-and-working-tax-credits-statistics-provisional-awards-geographical-analyses-december-2013.

HMRC also publish information relating to the value of childcare vouchers through Employer Supported Childcare in the Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Relief supplementary document:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/expenditures/table1-5.pdf.

Question reference: S4W-19246

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 30 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-18944 by Shona Robison on 13 January 2014, whether it will provide the information that was requested and confirm whether it would support a ban on any payday lender sponsoring any part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The Scottish Government believes that the pay day lending industry needs to be subject to greater regulation so that we can protect those whose financial situation is desperate enough that they take out these short-term agreements and help them avoid the escalating debt problems.

The Scottish Government support a multi-pronged approach which would see interest rates and total costs of credit capped as they have been in other countries, restrictions placed on the rolling over of loans and tighter regulation of the industry particularly around advertising.

In view of this position, the Scottish Government would not support any proposal for a payday loan company to become a Games sponsor. Games organisers have made clear that there is no sponsorship category for payday loan companies and no intention to seek sponsorship from any company in that sector.

Question reference: S4W-17976

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 29 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether its staff have access to the passwords for ministerial Twitter accounts and, if so, which accounts.

Question reference: S4W-19045

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 17 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17799 by Michael Russell on 8 November 2013, whether the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning was aware on 22 August 2012 that an independent student with a household income of £18,000 would receive £1,000 less in bursary each year as a result of the changes announced on that date.

Question reference: S4W-19054

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 17 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17797 by Michael Russell on 8 November 2013, whether it remains its position, as noted in Supporting a Smarter Scotland: A consultation on supporting learners in higher education, that “younger students staying in the parental home tended to have the lowest incomes and expenditure” compared with those who live away from home.

The Scottish Government recognises the diversity in the circumstances of students. A key aim of the Post 16 Education Reform Programme is to simplify the main student support system whilst ensuring maximum benefit for all students.

On top of important benefits such as free tuition, the new package includes an annual minimum income of £7,250, through a combination of bursaries and loans, for students with a family income of less than £17,000. All students, irrespective of circumstances, are eligible for a student loan of £4,500 a year.

Question reference: S4W-19042

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 17 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17799 by Michael Russell on 8 November 2013, whether the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning was aware on 22 August 2012 that a young student with a residual household income of £15,000 would receive almost £900 less in bursary each year as a result of the changes announced on that date.

A key aim of the Post 16 Education Reform Programme was to simplify the main student support system. Analysis of the impact of changes announced on 22 August 2012 was geared to ensuring maximum benefit for all undergraduate students.

Introduction of the new support package in 2013, means that undergraduate students benefit from access to increased financial support. An annual minimum income of £7,250 is now guaranteed for students with a family income of less than £17,000.

Question reference: S4W-19053

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 17 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17797 by Michael Russell on 8 November 2013, whether it remains its position, as noted in Supporting a Smarter Scotland: A consultation on supporting learners in higher education, that students who stay away from home while at university “are likely to face greater financial pressures from a number of areas including rent and rising food and fuel costs” compared with those who live at home.

The Scottish Government recognises the impact of increases in the cost of living for students. A key aim of the Post 16 Education Reform Programme is to simplify the main student support system whilst ensuring maximum benefit for all students.

On top of important benefits such as free tuition, the new package includes an annual minimum income of £7,250, through a combination of bursaries and loans, for students with a family income of less than £17,000. All students, irrespective of circumstances, are eligible for a student loan of £4,500 a year.

Question reference: S4W-19048

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 17 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17799 by Michael Russell on 8 November 2013, over what period of years the debt figures quoted had been accrued in each case.

The figures quoted in the answer to S4W-17799 show the average debt of those borrowers who became eligible to repay in April 2013 (the 2013 cohort). Borrowers become eligible to repay their loans in the April after they graduate or otherwise leave their course.

The figures represent the average debt accrued by Scottish, English and Welsh students who became eligible to repay their loans in 2013. This is the most up to date comparison available of debt levels for recent graduates.

Question reference: S4W-19052

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 17 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17797 by Michael Russell on 8 November 2013, whether it will provide figures for the value of the total maintenance package provided in 2013-14 for students living away from home (but not in London) from (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) Wales at residual incomes of (i) £17,000, (ii) £20,000 and (iii) incomes in increments of £5,000 thereafter up to and including £50,000.

The following tables provide the maintenance package available to dependent and independent students in Scotland in 2013-14, who are living away from home.

Dependent students:

Household income	Bursary	Loan	Total
£0 to £16,999	£1,750	£5,500	£7,250
£17,000 to £23,999	£1,000	£5,500	£6,500
£24,000 to £33,999	£500	£5,500	£6,000
£34,000 and above	£0	£4,500	£4,500

Independent students

Household income	Bursary	Loan	Total
£0 to £16,999	£750	£6,500	£7,250
£17,000 to £23,999	£0	£6,500	£6,500
£24,000 to £33,999	£0	£6,000	£6,000
£34,000 and above	£0	£4,500	£4,500

We do not hold information on support available to students from elsewhere in the UK. From academic year 2013-14, support is assessed using household income bandings in the tables above. It is no longer assessed on income increments

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