Parliamentary questions
Fiona Hyslop
940 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
10 Jan 2007 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what recent progress has been made to secure the funding for the upgrade of the A801 Avon Gorge road.
Answer · Tavish Scott: SESTRAN have committed £220,000over the two financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08 for detailed design and land acquisitionto be undertaken. In addition, SESTRAN have identified that £9.5 million is requiredfor future years in order to complete the project.</p><…
19 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities have the authority to “top up” fire and rescue boards’ funding for functions that are delegated to such boards.
Answer · Johann Lamont: Yes, subject to the need to ensurethat public funds are used appropriately and that any such top up represents valuefor money.</p>
19 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what restrictions there are on local authorities making resources available to fire and rescue boards.
Answer · Johann Lamont: Within the scope of the localgovernment settlement, local authorities can choose what priority to attach to theprovision of fire and rescue services over other services for which they have responsibility.</p>
24 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the City of Edinburgh Council’s decision to allocate an extra £50,000 to schools in Edinburgh to address the funding shortfall resulting from increased energy costs in schools and whether it will confirm that the projected shortfall is £1.2 million.
Answer · Tom McCabe: All local authority budgetarydecisions rest with the local authority concerned. The Executive is providing recordlevels of funding and it is the responsibility of each local authority to allocateits total resources, including locally raised income, on the bas…
24 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to address the funding shortfall resulting from increased energy costs in schools.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Executive is providing localgovernment with record levels of funding and I have no plans to re-open the 2006-07financial settlement. I will be announcing the provisional 2007-08 local governmentfinance settlement figures to Parliament on 13 December 2006.…
22 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been identified as having Crohn’s disease since 1999, broken down by NHS board, gender and age.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The following tables gives theinformation requested, broken down by NHS board and gender. To break down the informationby age, or by gender in the case of the island boards, would run the risk of compromisingpatient confidentiality.</p><table border=1 cellspa…
22 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any testing of daily herds in Scotland to establish if there is a link between dairy produce and Crohn’s disease.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The cause of Crohn’s diseaseis not known and there is no proven link between dairy produce and Crohn’s disease.</p><p>It has been suggested that Crohn’sdisease might be caused by <i>Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis</i> (MAP), abacterium that causes Johne’…
22 Nov 2006 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the financial provision that will be needed in future years to support a growth in the elderly population and increases in the numbers of children identified as being in need of support.
Answer · Tom McCabe: We are considering the futurefinancial provision required, taking into account demographic trends, as we preparefor the next spending review. For example, Malcolm Chisholm is leading the developmentof a Strategy for Scotland with an Ageing Population.</p><p>D…
15 Nov 2006 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the contract for Addiewell Prison has been signed with the private consortium involved and, if not, on what date it is due to be signed and what the cost of the prison will be to the public purse over the lifetime of the contract.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: <a name="se_IndexHeading"></a>Scottish Prison Service</p><p><b> Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): </b>To ask the Scottish Executive <a name=QuestionText>whetherthe contract for Addiewell Prison has been signed with the private consortium involvedand, if not, on …
10 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it will issue to local authorities to ensure that they take a co-ordinated approach against service providers who do not comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 by regulation and refusal to grant licences.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Enforcement of the DisabilityDiscrimination Act (DDA) 2005 is a matter for the courts and the Disability RightsCommission (DRC). The Scottish Executive therefore has no plans to issue guidanceto local authorities about action against service providers who do …
10 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding will be made available to local authorities to make local authority-owned or rented buildings comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 2005.
Answer · Tom McCabe: It is for employers and serviceproviders, including local authorities, to decide what they need to do to complywith the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 and to allocate the necessary resources.</p><p>Local authorities have substantialresources at their disp…
10 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will promote the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 which will come into force in December 2006.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Disability DiscriminationAct (DDA) 2005 is Westminster legislation. One of the principal provisions of the DDA2005 introduces a duty on the public sector to promote equality for disabled people;due to come into force on 4 December 2006.</p><p>To support t…
10 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what average time is taken by (a) women and (b) men to repay outstanding student loans.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The time taken to repay a loanvaries depending on the type of loan taken. For mortgage-style loans (those startingtheir course before 1998-99), borrowers who have finished paying off their loanstake an average time to repay of (a) 5.21 years for women and (b)…
9 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28476 by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006, how many student loan borrowers domiciled in Scotland and now in repayment status had their payments outweighed by the charges shown as interest on their statements in cash terms in each of the last five year…
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The number of student loan borrowerswho had ICR full-time loans that entered repayment in April 2004 who had their repaymentsoutweighed by interest in each financial year is:</p><p>2003-04 is 15,981</p><p>2004-05 is 36,312.</p><p>Due to the nature of the repa…
9 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28477 by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006, whether it is confident that the statement “All AME expenditure is met in full by the Treasury” is accurate.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: I am confident that this statementis accurate. All AME expenditure is met bythe Treasury, providing that the expenditure is in respect of the budget intent,in this case Student Loans</p>
9 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28477 by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006, whether the statements in the answer that “Expenditure on student support can be split into two main categories. Expenditure from the Scottish Executive Budget and expenditure from outwith Total Managed Expen…
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Reclassification of StudentNet New lending from Outwith Total Managed Expenditure (OTME) to AME has no budgetaryeffect.</p><p>This reclassification simplyimproves the transparency of the Treasury’s cash requirements. By virtue of thePublic Finance and Acc…
9 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide substantive answers to questions S2W-28479, S2W-28478, S2W-28471, S2W-28470 and S2W-28465 which were lodged on 19 September 2006.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: These were answered on 28 November 2006.</p>
9 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28467 by Nicol Stephen on 18 October 2006, what percentage of Scots-domiciled graduates the figures contained in the answer represent in each case.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The figures are: Scottishdomiciled graduates from full-time courses from Scottish higher educationinstitutions (HEIs) and colleges that found permanent employment in Scotland asa percentage of all graduates from full-time courses from Scottish HEIs andcollege…
9 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average indebtedness to the Student Loans Company is of borrowers domiciled in Scotland who graduated or otherwise ceased to borrow in 2005 but who had borrowed for at least four years.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The following table showsthe figures for graduates who ceased to borrow in 2005.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=516> <tr> <td width=87 nowrap valign=bottom> <p> </p> </td> <td width=123 nowrap valign=top> <p align=center>Produc…
22 Sep 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Healthlink service bus link between West Lothian and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh will be registered under the Executive’s concessionary travel scheme so that pensioners can travel free for appointments and to visit relatives in hospital.
Answer · Tavish Scott: Although the Healthlink servicebus link runs two daily trips between West Lothian and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh,passengers must pre-book before travelling or the service will not run. It is notan eligible service under the terms of the Scotland-wide fr…
19 Sep 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how graduate endowment income has been spent since it became available.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Graduate Endowment income becameavailable in 2005-06 and in accordance with section 2 of The Education (GraduateEndowment and Student Support) (Scotland) Act 2001 has been applied in the provision of studentsupport.</p>
19 Sep 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to Consolidated Resource Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2005, what factors caused the Student Awards Agency for Scotland's underspend to be less than predicted on student fees, support through the Quigley agreement, resource aspects of student loans and other schemes.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The underspend was due to thenumber of students being less than originally anticipated, resulting in underspendson various SAAS schemes and also an underspend in the resource cost of student loans.</p>
19 Sep 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to Consolidated Resource Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2005, why £38 million was received in student loan repayments when £29 million is shown as income applied for the Student Awards Agency for Scotland.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: There is no correlation betweenthe two figures. The £38 million is student loan repayments whereas the £29 millioncomprises capitalised interest (£29.3 million) and repayment of awards (£21,000).</p>
19 Sep 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) mean, (b) mode and (c) median student loan debt is for Scottish borrowers who ceased to be students during 2006 and who were borrowers for at least (i) three and (ii) four years.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The following table shows the mean, mode and median student loan debt for Scottish borrowers who entered repayment in 2006 and who were borrowers for at least (i) three and (ii) four years:</p><p> </p><p>Student Loan Debt for Scottish Domiciled Borrowers, as …
19 Sep 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) mean, (b) mode and (c) median student loan debt is for Scottish borrowers who ceased to be students during 2006.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The following table shows themean, mode and median student loan debt for Scottish borrowers who entered repaymentin 2006:</p><p>Student Loan Debt for ScottishDomiciled Borrowers, as at 31 March 2006</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=199> <t…
19 Sep 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the costings on which the Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning based his statement on 14 September 2006 that the SNP proposal to replace the student loans system with a maintenance grant would incur a £150 million cost to “transfer loans into grants…
Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-28470 on 28 November 2006. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/…
19 Sep 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will expand on the statement by the Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning on 14 September 2006 that “The SNP might save £80 million in write-off subsidy” (Official Report, c. 27527).
Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-28470 on 28 November 2006. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at:<ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…
19 Sep 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will expand on the statement by the Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning on 14 September 2006 that “The Treasury in effect pays the loans” (Official Report, c. 27527).
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Expenditure on student supportcan be split into two main categories. Expenditure from the Scottish Executive Budgetand expenditure from outwith Total Managed Expenditure i.e. funds which come directlyfrom HM Treasury and are outside the Scottish Executive Bud…
19 Sep 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many student loan borrowers domiciled in Scotland, now in repayment status, had their payments outweighed by interest charged on their loans in the most recent year for which figures are available.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: When considered in real terms,no student loan borrower in any stage of repayment will have payments outweighedby interest charged on their loans.</p><p>Thereal rate of interest on student loans is zero, as the interest charge simply coversinflation. Therefore…
19 Sep 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average length of time is to pay off a student loan debt through the taxation system.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28474 on 6 October 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…