Parliamentary questions
Linda Fabiani
2,507 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any concern has been expressed to it by the Civil Service Commissioners in regard to any appointment made by it since May 1999.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Civil Service Commissioners have not expressed concern in regard to any appointment made by the Scottish Executive since May 1999.
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths of protected bird species occurred as a result of snaring within capercaillie habitats in 2001.
Answer · Allan Wilson: I have no information on this.
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many instances of snaring within capercaillie habitats occurred in 2001, detailing the location of each.
Answer · Allan Wilson: I have no information on this.
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether snaring within capercaillie habitats can be allowed in the context of the EC Directive on wild birds habitats.
Answer · Allan Wilson: Article 5 of the Wild Birds Directive prohibits the deliberate killing, or capture by any method, of all species of naturally occurring wild birds. The provisions of the directive are given effect in the UK by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which makes…
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive under what conditions snaring within capercaillie habitats is allowed.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The use of snares to target pest species, such as foxes and rabbits, is a matter for individual landowners or their agents. Snares set must be of an approved type and must, by law, be checked at least once a day.<P>I understand that guidance on fox control in…
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what is the exact legal status of snaring within capercaillie habitats.
Answer · Allan Wilson: Laws on snaring do not differentiate between land which supports capercaillie populations and other land types. The use of approved snares to control pest species of wild animal, such as foxes and rabbits, is legally permitted, subject to certain conditions r…
22 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) people and (b) agencies have been engaged in a consultative capacity by and on behalf of Communities Scotland since its inception and at what cost.
Answer · Iain Gray: I have asked Bob Millar, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:<P>A total of 27 consultancies have been employed by Communities Scotland since its inception, details of which are given in the following table. The total…
15 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions since Social Inclusion Partnerships were established action has been taken in order to (a) withhold and (b) recover payments from a recipient body of funds from a partnership; in each case, which partnership was involved and what level of payments was withheld or rec…
Answer · Margaret Curran: Details are shown in the following table:<P>1999 to Date<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=604><TR><TD WIDTH="13%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Amount<P>(£)</TD><TD WIDTH="30%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Social Inclusion Partnership</TD><TD WIDTH="58%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>O…
15 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who the accountable officer is for expenditure on and by Social Inclusion Partnerships and what steps are taken to ensure that the officer is able to monitor any conflicts of interest affecting decisions on such expenditure.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The Chief Executive of Communities Scotland is the accountable officer for Social Inclusion Partnership (SIP) funding provided by Communities Scotland, and is answerable to the Minister for Social Justice. SIP boards are responsible for making funding allocat…
15 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21335 by Ms Margaret Curran on 28 January 2002, what steps it takes to monitor the management by Social Inclusion Partnerships of any conflicts of interest of board members and any others involved in decisions about the distribution of Social Inclusi…
Answer · Margaret Curran: The terms and conditions of Social Inclusion Partnership grant funding place a requirement on the local authority, as grant recipient, to maintain a register of interests which must be made available for inspection by Communities Scotland on request.
15 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21335 by Ms Margaret Curran on 28 January 2002, whether members of Social Inclusion Partnership boards are liable to register interests or conflicts of interest in the same manner as those who serve on non-departmental public bodies or as elected mem…
Answer · Margaret Curran: Under the terms and conditions of Social Inclusion Partnership funding, local authorities as grant recipients are required to keep a register of interests, available on request for inspection by Communities Scotland.
15 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21335 by Ms Margaret Curran on 28 January 2002, which members of each Social Inclusion Partnership board have interests that would be declarable if serving as members of a local authority.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The information requested is not held centrally.
23 Jan 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received in regard to student debt.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The issue of student debt has been the subject of correspondence with ministers and officials on a number of occasions since the introduction of student loans in 1990.
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has commissioned, or plans to commission, into the effects on students' academic performance of also being in employment and whether it will detail the results of any such analysis and research.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: A wide range of factors, including financial ones, will affect an individual’s academic performance. We do not have any current plans to commission, research into the effects of being in employment on students' academic performance. As the member will be awar…
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether tuition fees are a disincentive to any potential students from entering further and higher education.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Tuition fees were abolished for eligible Scottish domiciled and EU students in further and higher education in Scotland from academic year 2000-01.
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether student loans are a disincentive to potential students from ethnic minority backgrounds from entering further and higher education.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Student loans apply only in higher education.<P>There are a wide variety of reasons why individuals choose whether or not to enter further or higher education.<P>Information on student numbers by ethnicity in further and higher education over the last five ye…
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether student loans are a disincentive to mature students from entering further and higher education.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Support for students in further education is given the form of bursary. Student loans apply only in higher education.<P>There are a wide variety of reasons why individuals choose whether or not to enter further or higher education.<P>Information on student nu…
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether student loans are a disincentive to female students from entering further and higher education.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Student loans apply only in higher education.<P>There are a wide variety of reasons why individuals choose whether or not to enter further or higher education.<P>Information on student numbers by gender in further and higher education over the last five years…
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether student loans are a disincentive to potential students from less affluent backgrounds from entering further and higher education.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Student loans apply only in higher education. Support for further education is provided in the form of bursary.<P>As part of the new student support arrangements introduced from this academic year, young students entering full-time higher education in Scotlan…
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish any research it has commissioned into the rates of non-completion of courses by students.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: I refer the member to the answer given to question on 18 January 2002.
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the non-completion of courses by students had or is having on the ability of those students to repay tuition fees or their student loans.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Eligible Scottish domiciled and EU students studying in Scotland have not been required to contribute to the cost of their tuition since 2000-01. They are not required to repay tuition fees paid to institutions by the Executive on their behalf. <P>Under the I…
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the non-completion of courses by students has on the education system.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Retention rates in higher education institutions in Scotland are high by international standards. However, the Scottish Executive recognises that it is important to minimise non-completion, which is why my guidance letter of 10 December 2001 asked the Scottis…
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the non-completion of courses by students has on the economy.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: I am not aware of any research on this issue.
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, entrants to higher and further education left without completing the qualification they were studying for and how many, and what percentage, left as a result of debt or poverty in each of the past three years and in the current year, broken down by instit…
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The information cannot be provided in the format requested.<P>Information on the number of students leaving higher education courses before completion can be found in the Standard Tables on Higher Education and Further Education in Scotland, published by the …
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of student debt is a consequence of the introduction of the student loans system.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Data on student debt other than student loans is not held centrally.
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost of reinstating student grants would be.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Executive has already introduced bursaries of up to £2,000 a year for new entrant young students in full-time higher education in Scotland. These have been available since August 2001. The cost of substituting non-repayable grants for the remaining studen…
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reinstate subsistence grants for students in place of the current student loans system.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Since August 2001 young Scottish students from low-income homes starting full-time study in Scotland have been eligible for a Young Student Bursary of up to £2,000 each year towards their living costs.
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the imposition of tuition fees on students had on the economy.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Tuition fees were abolished for eligible Scottish domiciled and EU students studying in Scotland from academic year 2000-01. I am not aware of any research into the impact of student contributions to fees in the period 1998-99 to 1999-2000.
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact student poverty and student debt have on the economy.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: I am not aware of any research into the impact of student income levels and student debt on the Scottish economy.
10 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has made or is making, and what research it has commissioned or plans to commission, to assess the impact of student poverty on academic performance and whether it will detail the results of any such analysis and research.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: A wide range of factors, including financial ones, will affect an individual's academic performance. We do not have any current plans to commission, research on the impact of student poverty on academic performance. As the member will be aware there are a new…