Parliamentary questions

Fiona Hyslop

940 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

13 Oct 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is acceptable that I received a reply from the Director of Corporate Affairs of the office of the Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland regarding complaints made by a constituent which failed to answer these complaints, despite assurances in a letter of 13 April 2005 from th…

Answer · Rhona Brankin: I am sorry that thecommissioner, because of absence on business, did not himself respond initially.I understand that he has written to you personally in the last few days apologisingand offering to address any issues you believe have not been fully covered in…

13 Oct 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is acceptable for the office of the Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland not to respond fully to my letter of 9 June 2005 asking why it had failed to answer a constituent's letters, emails and recorded delivery letters since February 2005 about an interruption to the water …

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Executive expects all publicbodies to respond fully to all points raised in communications with them.

13 Oct 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what performance-related measures are in place to ensure that letters written to the office of the Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland by members of the public and elected members are answered promptly.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Prior to his replacement by theWater Industry Commission on 1 July 2005, the commissioner’s office aimed to respond to correspondencewithin ten working days.

13 Oct 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the performance of the Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland's customer service relationship with members of the public and elected members.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The commissioner is requiredto submit to ministers, and publish, an annual report on the exercise of his functionsincluding customer service.

13 Oct 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the performance of the Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Prior to his replacement by theWater Industry Commission on 1 July 2005, the commissioner’s performance in regulatingScottish Water led to Scottish Water delivering operational savings of around £2million per week, easing the burden of charges to customers. T…

30 Aug 2005 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the PFI contract for West Lothian College.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The ScottishFurther Education Funding Council has responsibility for funding Scotland’s further education colleges and promotingtheir financial stability.As part of thatresponsibility, the Funding Council is currently reviewing options for the futureof…

14 Jul 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many graduates gained a degree in (a) finance, (b) accountancy and (c) banking in each year since 1997, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of graduates.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The following tables give the numbers of higher education graduates from Scottish higher education institutions and further education colleges in the academic years 1996-97 to 2002-03 (the most recent year for which complete graduate data are available).<…

13 Jul 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reconsider its decision not to grant financial support to West Lothian Council through the route development fund for the provision of an hourly bus service between West Lothian, Edinburgh Park and Edinburgh Airport.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Following the initial roundof the Bus Route Development Grant scheme, it was decided that there will be nofurther formal “round” of BRDF awards. Instead, any transport authority whichdid not receive at least a population-based share of the total funding throu…

12 Jul 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make provision for community councils and local authorities to be consulted as part of the authorisation process under the Motor Vehicles (Off Road Events) Regulations 1995.

Answer · Tavish Scott: We have no evidence tosuggest these Regulations are not working as they are intended to and thereforehave no plans to amend them at this time.

12 Jul 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to amend the Motor Vehicles (Off Road Events) Regulations 1995.

Answer · Tavish Scott: No.

1 Jul 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been declared bankrupt in each year since 1990 and, of these, how many in each year were student loan borrowers.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Accountant in Bankruptcymaintains the Register of Insolvencies in Scotland. Details of bankruptcies are compiled by financial year.The following table gives the number of bankruptcies for the financial years 1990-91to 2004-05. Statistics on how many debto…

24 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to ensure that children entitled to free school meals and who switched from income support to child tax credit do not lose their entitlement to free school meals as a result of overpayment of child tax credits.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive is aware of the potential difficulties around child tax credit and free school meal entitlement as a result of an overpayment, and is currently considering how best to address these difficulties, in partnership with local authorities and other a…

24 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majestys Government to establish how many student parents in Scotland have received any overpayment of child tax credits.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Tax and benefits are a reserved matter. However, the Scottish Executive is in regular discussions with Her Majestys Government on a variety of matters including tax credits.

24 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majestys Government to establish whether any student parents in Scotland have received any overpayment of child tax credits.

24 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussion it has had with Her Majestys Government in order to ensure that no parent or child will bear any hardship as a result of overpayment of child tax credits in Scotland.

24 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majestys Government regarding the overpayment of child tax credit to families in Scotland.

7 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average length of time is for a graduate to repay their student loan.

Answer · Allan Wilson: For a 2005 graduate commencing repayment in 2006 the forecast average length of time to repay their student loan is approximately 13 years.

31 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has carried out, or intends to carry out, into the destinations of Scottish graduates more than one year after graduation.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive holds data collected from surveys conducted around six months after students graduate from higher education courses at Scottish higher education institutions and further education colleges. The survey to graduates from higher education …

31 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has carried out of the effects on the economy of a reduction in average disposable income.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive has not carried out any specific research on the effects on the economyof a reduction in average disposable income. The median weekly household income(allowing for housing costs) in Scotland has actually been rising in real terms – from…

31 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio has been of the value of student loans paid out to Scottish-domiciled students to the value of student loans repayments from Scottish-domiciled graduates in each year since student loans were introduced.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The administration of student loans is within the remit of the Student Loans Company. Information on both the value of student loans paid out to Scottish-domiciled students and the value of repayments from Scottish-domiciled graduates is not held centrally by…

31 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value is of all student loans to Scottish-domiciled students that have been written off.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The administration of student loans is within the remit of the Student Loans Company. Information on the total value of all student loans to Scottish-domiciled graduates that have been written off is not held centrally by the Scottish Executive.

25 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has paid in subsidies for student loans sold in 1998 and 1999 in each year since 1998.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Debt Sale subsidy payments to 2003-04 in respect of student loans total £62,527,000. This is broken down on a year by year basis as follows: <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> Year</td> <td> Amount …

23 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the equivalent Scottish figures to the figures which are published in the Annual Report of the Student Loans Company Ltd.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The figures which are publishedin the Student Loans Company Ltd Annual Report are not disaggregated for Scotland andthere are no plans to do so.

23 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many derived grades were awarded to candidates at higher grade in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) grade awarded and (b) examination centre.

Answer · Peter Peacock: This is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority. The information requested is not held centrally.

22 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it costs the Student Loans Company for each £1 it loans.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answergiven to S2W-7716 on 6 May 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa…

6 Apr 2005 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that fees charged by Scottish universities will not deter prospective students.

Answer · Jim Wallace: We have a long tradition of attracting students from all over the world to come to study at Scottish universities. This is something we value and want to continue. At the same time, we have a duty to ensure that Scottish domiciled students continue to have fa…

23 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities have a public register of contaminated land as required under the new statutory contaminated land regime.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: All local authorities are required by section 78R of Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to keep a public register. Section 78R(1) specifies what material is to be in the register, with the detail prescribed in the Contaminated Land (Scotland) R…

23 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases were referred to it or the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on planning or environmental grounds where there were concerns in respect of asbestos disposal from brownfield sites in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive does not have cases referred to it specifically because of concerns about asbestos disposal from brownfield sites. Local authorities are the competent authorities for land use planning matters in Scotland and they consult the Scottish E…

21 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be available to Schools of Ambition and for how long.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Provided the plans are ambitious enough and will deliver real improvements, the Scottish Executive will act as guarantor of at least an additional £100,000 per year for an agreed period. Benefactors of the school may offer additional support that will allow t…

21 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the criteria for selection in the Schools of Ambition programme.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Local authorities were invited to submit bids which outlined a strong vision of future success, ambition, commitment and a convincing case for change. They were asked to provide a statement of: Vision: a picture of what will be achieved over the transf…