Parliamentary questions
Claire Baker
1,724 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students would benefit from extending the Education Maintenance Allowance to students studying in the private, independent and third sector, as proposed in 16+ Learning Choices: First Step Activity and Financial Support.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Young people in the independent school sector are already able to apply via their local authority for Education Maintenance Allowance.</p> <p >Our consultation proposes the extension of support to young people learning with third sector providers as part of …
21 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated savings would be from centralising the delivery of Education Maintenance Allowances, as proposed in 16+ Learning Choices: First Step Activity and Financial Support.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The aim of the changes to the Education Maintenance Allowance that are proposed in <i >16+ Learning Choices: First Steps and Financial Support</i> is to refocus existing resources rather than to identify savings.</p> <p >We do not expect to release resources…
21 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated savings would be from abolishing the Young Person's Bridging Allowance, as proposed in 16+ Learning Choices: First Step Activity and Financial Support.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The aim of the proposals in <i >16+ Learning Choices: First Step Activity and Financial Support</i> is not to make savings but to improve the support available to young people.</p> <p >Annual expenditure on the Young Persons'' Bridging Allowance, based on 20…
21 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated savings would be from reducing the maximum income threshold for qualification for the Educational Maintenance Allowance from £21,835 to £19,835, as proposed in 16+ Learning Choices: First Step Activity and Financial Support.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The aim of the changes to the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) proposed in <i >16+ Learning Choices: First Step Activity and Financial Support</i> is to refocus existing resources to better target support towards the most vulnerable young people wherever…
21 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated savings would be from abolishing the Educational Maintenance Allowance at (a) £10 and (b) £20 per week, as proposed in the 16+ Learning Choices: First Step Activity and Financial Support.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The aim of the changes to the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) proposed in <i >16+ Learning Choices: First Step Activity and Financial Support</i> is to refocus existing resources to better target support towards the most vulnerable young people wherever…
21 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated savings would be from replacing the Get Ready for Work allowance with the Education Maintenance Allowance, as proposed in 16+ Learning Choices: First Step Activity and Financial Support.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The proposal within the <i >16+ Learning Choices: First Steps Activity and Financial Support</i> consultation is not about financial savings. It is being proposed to address the specific issue of parity of financial support for young people in education and t…
20 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students in receipt of the (a) Lone Parent’s Grant and (b) Lone Parent’s Childcare Grant also received the Young Students’ Bursary in the last academic year for which information is available.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: In academic year 2007-08 135 recipients of Lone Parent''s Grant received a Young Student''s Bursary (YSB). Eighty recipients of Lone Parent''s Childcare Grant received a YSB.</p>
20 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18578 by Fiona Hyslop on the 22 December 2008, how many students received the (a) Lone Parent’s Grant and (b) Lone Parent’s Childcare Grant in the last academic year for which figures are available, broken down by income.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The following table shows the number of higher education students who received Lone Parent''s Grant and the number who received Lone Parent''s Childcare Grant in academic year 2007-08 broken down by parental/spousal income.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0…
20 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on what basis the £13 million of accelerated capital spend for further and higher education in 2009-10 will be distributed and which capital projects will benefit.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The £13 million of accelerated capital spend for further and higher education will be used to benefit projects across Scotland in 2009-10, helping to accelerate investment which would not otherwise have taken place until 2010-11. Further details of the specif…
20 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students (a) qualified for and (b) received means-tested loans in each of the last three years, broken down by (i) assessed income, (ii) amount received, (iii) independent or dependent status and (iv) whether they are studying at college or university.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Tables 1 to 3 show students who applied for and were assessed as entitled to means-tested maintenance loans in academic years 2005-06 to 2007-08 broken down by institution type and parental/spousal income.</p> <p >Table 1: Students Assessed as Entitled to Me…
20 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time higher education students received the maximum amount of means-tested loan in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) whether studying at college or university, (b) independent or dependent status and (c) income.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: This information is not held centrally. The maximum amounts of means tested loan depend on students'' individual study circumstances, including their exact course length. SAAS record the amount of loan assessed but they do not record whether the amount is the…
20 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many higher education students at college receive young student bursaries (YSB), broken down by income, and what the total amount was of YSB received by such students.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The table shows the number of higher education students studying at colleges who received Young Students Bursaries (YSB) in academic year 2007-08, and the amount received, broken down by parental/spousal income.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding…
20 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19187 by Fiona Hyslop on 9 January 2009, whether students in the (a) exempt from parental/spousal contribution and (b) income not declared/required category would receive full means-tested support.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: (a) It is not possible to say if all the students in the exempt from parental/spousal contribution would be eligible to receive full means-tested support if bursary support was extended to independent students using the current income thresholds. The answer t…
20 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19196 by Fiona Hyslop on 15 January 2009, what changes to secondary legislation would be required to implement each of the options outlined in the Supporting a Smarter Scotland consultation paper.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19196 on 15 January 2009, which makes clear that we do not anticipate that any legislative action would be required to implement option 1, 2 or 3 but given the consultation is seeking the widest views possible,…
20 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will lay before the Parliament a report assessing the impact that abolishing the graduate endowment has had in relation to widening access to higher education.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: A report assessing the impact that abolishing the graduate endowment fee has had in relation to widening access to higher education will be laid before the Parliament as required by 4 April 2009.</p>
20 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether calculations have been made to cost any of the options outlined in its Supporting a Smarter Scotland consultation paper and, if so, what the detail and basis are of these calculations.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The calculations and costings in the consultation document were based on data and intelligence available at the time.</p> <p >The options outlined in the consultation paper are examples of how the additional £30 million available for higher education student…
20 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19193 by Fiona Hyslop on 15 January 2009, whether calculations were undertaken in costing option 1b in its Supporting a Smarter Scotland consultation paper at £23 million and what the detail and basis of these calculations were.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The calculations and costings in the consultation document were based on data and intelligence available at the time.</p> <p >Option 1b, like the other options in the consultation paper, is an example of how the additional £30 million available for higher ed…
20 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19181 by Fiona Hyslop on 15 January 2009, whether the recent decision to uprate student loans by 2.6% to maintain their real-terms value required negotiations with HM Treasury due to the budgetary implications; if so, what discussions took place and …
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: No negotiations with HM Treasury were required in the recent decision to uprate student loans by 2.6%. This is because the uprating figure of 2.6% is based on the Treasury''s mid-May forecasts of the rise in RPI-x during the calendar years 2009 and 2010. Thes…
19 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19180 by Fiona Hyslop on 15 January 2009, at which year the Student Income, Expenditure and Debt survey will look.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Survey of Income, Expenditure and Debt 2007-08 will provide data for Scottish domiciled students for the academic year 2007-08.</p>
19 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been on the waiting list for a free central heating system in the KY postcode area in each month since July 2005.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The information is only available from October 2006 when Scottish Gas was appointed as the managing agent. Scottish Gas has provided the following details for the KY postcode area, on the number of applicants on the waiting list in each month since October 20…
19 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many new applications have been (a) received and (b) accepted for a free central heating system in the KY postcode area in each month since July 2005.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The information is only available from October 2006 when Scottish Gas was appointed as the managing agent. Scottish Gas has provided the following details, for the KY postcode area, on the number of applications received and the number of applications accepte…
19 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18994 by Fiona Hyslop on 8 January 2009, how much discretionary funding was returned to Student Awards Agency for Scotland for redistribution in each of the last five years, broken down by institution.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The following table lists the funds returned each year by each institution. Information for year 2007-08 is still in the process of being gathered and will be available at the end of February.</p> <p >As stated in the answer to question S3W-18994 on 8 Januar…
19 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19186 by Fiona Hyslop on 14 January 2009, what savings will be made in the Education and Lifelong Learning budget, and to which budget lines, to pay for the additional £12.4 million cost associated with unwinding provisions for student loans.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The additional £12.4 million cost associated with the unwinding provisions for student loans are being met from other non-cash budget savings associated with the provision of student loans within the overall Student Awards Agency for Scotland''s budgets.</p>
19 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) independent and (b) mature students would benefit if the Young Students’ Bursary scheme were extended to these groups using its current income thresholds.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: In academic year 2007-08, 20,475 independent full-time Scottish domiciled undergraduate and post graduate diploma in education students studying in Scotland received support from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS). Six hundred and twenty-five of th…
19 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it would cost to extend the Young Students’ Bursary scheme to (a) independent young students and (b) mature students using the scheme’s current income thresholds.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: We have costed how much it would cost to extend YSB to independent students and this is set out in the consultation paper as option 1b. The consultation paper does not consider the option of extending the Young Student''s Bursary scheme to (a) independent you…
9 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish students studying in the rest of the United Kingdom received (a) income assessed and (b) additional loans from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland, broken down by (i) income, (ii) independent and dependent status and (iii) amount received.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The number of full-time Scottish students studying in the rest of the United Kingdom that were assessed for income assessed loans in the academic year 2007-08 is shown in table 1.</p> <p >Table 1: Scottish Full-Time Students Studying in the Rest of the UK Su…
9 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total amount was of additional loans to independent students in each of the last five years.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The total amount of additional loan support assessed for full-time independent students is shown in the following table.</p> <p >Amount of Additional Loan Support Assessed for Full-Time Independent Students</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 w…
9 Jan 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many independent students (a) qualified for and (b) received an additional loan in each of the last five years.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The number of students qualifying for the additional loan is not held centrally. The number of full-time independent students entitled to the additional loan is shown in the following table:</p> <p >Independent Full-Time Students Entitled to the Additional L…
17 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding sources are provided for higher education students at college and how this funding is distributed.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Full details of the support available to higher education students and how this funding is distributed can be found on the Student Awards Agency for Scotland''s website <a href="http://www.saas.gov.uk/">www.saas.gov.uk</a>.</p>
17 Dec 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding sources are provided for further education students at college and how this funding is distributed.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Full details of what funding sources are provided for further education students at college can be found at the following link:</p> <p ><a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Funding-Support-Grants/FFL/Publications">www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/E…