Parliamentary questions
Claire Baker
1,724 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
25 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the First Minister’s statement on 24 April 2008 that some 400,000 students in Scotland are currently liable for the council tax (Official Report c. 7934), which categories of student are included in this calculation and how many students there are in each category.
Answer · John Swinney: Part-time students aged 18 and over are not exempt from paying council tax by virtue of their student status and so are potentially liable for council tax. Some full-time students in further education are enrolled on courses that do not qualify them for a cou…
25 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how council tax is calculated for full-time students.
Answer · John Swinney: Information on how council tax is calculated for full time students is contained in the leaflet <i >Council Tax in </i><i >Scotland</i><i > “ A Guide for Students, Student Nurses, Apprentices, Skillseekers and School Leavers</i>, available at <a href="http://…
25 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many Open University students are paying council tax.
Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
25 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many distance learning students are paying council tax.
Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
25 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many night class students are paying council tax.
Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
25 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many further education students in (a) full-time and (b) part-time education are paying council tax.
Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
25 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many higher education students in (a) full-time and (b) part-time education are paying council tax.
Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
25 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students in full time education are paying council tax.
Answer · John Swinney: There were 228,795 full-time students in Scottish institutions in 2006-07. Of these, 222,230 were potentially exempt from council tax. It is not possible to say that all were exempt because some may have made a contribution to council tax, for example if they…
25 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what extra funding will be provided for any increase in the use of community sentence orders over the next three years, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The report of the review of community penalties published last November set out a plan of action, which is designed to lead to greater and improved use of community sentences. Work is in progress to take forward the report. The following additional sums have …
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether consideration has been given to exempting students from the proposed local income tax.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government does not propose that their should be any exemptions under a local income tax as individual liability is based on ability to pay. However, the issue of exemptions will be considered as part of the current consultation exercise which cl…
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposed local income tax would be levied on bursaries, hardship funds, grants and other payments to students.
Answer · John Swinney: There will be no local income tax liability for bursaries, hardship funds, and grants paid to students.</p>
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students earned over £5,225 in the 2007-08 financial year.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The exact number of students who earn over £5,225 in the financial year 2007-08 is not held centrally.</p> <p >However information from the 2004-05 students'' income, expenditure and debt survey, <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/L…
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings have taken place between ministers and student groups since May 2007, who attended and what was discussed.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Meetings regularly take place between Scottish ministers and student groups. The following table provides details of all meetings which have taken place between Scottish ministers and student groups since May 2007, including who attended and topics for discus…
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what estimates it has made on the effect on student numbers in Scotland should a local income tax be introduced.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is not aware of any evidence that suggests that the abolition of council tax and the introduction of a local income tax will have a significant effect on student numbers in Scotland.</p>
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the proposed local income tax will have on numbers of people in unregulated cash in hand employment.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is not aware of any evidence that suggests the introduction of a local income tax will have any significant impact on numbers of people in this type of employment.</p>
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it estimates the student population in Scotland as a whole would pay under the proposed local income tax.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11757 on 30 April 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp…
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students work in paid employment.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The official source of information on the number of people in employment is the labour force survey (LFS). The LFS also collects information on whether people are currently studying. The latest available data from the LFS, relating to the period October to De…
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average earned income is of a student per financial year.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The latest data on average earned term time income of full-time students relates to the academic year 2004-05. The amounts were £1,693 for higher education students and £948 for further education students. The calculation includes students who do not work.</p…
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place, and with whom, on the effect of the proposed local income tax on employers of students.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-12116 on 1 May 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what evaluation has taken place on the proposed local income tax and its effect on students.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11757 on 30 April 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp…
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact assessment has been carried out into the local income tax and its effect on students.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11757 on 30 April 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp…
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students will have to pay the proposed local income tax.
Answer · John Swinney: The number of students liable for a local income tax will depend on the numbers of students at the time a local income tax is implemented and the level of the personal allowance. Students with earned income or pension income at a level that is higher than the…
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings have taken place with external groups to discuss the effect of the proposed local income tax on students and who attended.
Answer · John Swinney: During the consultation period, which runs until 18 July 2008, my officials are attending a number of meetings with a range of stakeholders. Details of these meetings will be made available as part of the analysis of the consultation, which will be published…
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation has taken place with student representatives regarding the potential impact of a local income tax.
Answer · John Swinney: Student representative groups are invited to respond to the on-going consultation <i >A Fairer Local Tax for Scotland</i>. During the consultation period, which runs until 18 July 2008, officials are meeting with a range of interested stakeholders and I expe…
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will commission research into alternative methods of predator control that do not involve snaring.
Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government has no plans at present to commission research into alternatives to snaring. However, the working group which is currently being set up to take forward the regulation of snares will also advise ministers on research which is currently …
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has commissioned or will commission any independent research into the welfare impacts of snaring, as recommended in 2005 in the Report of the Independent Working Group on Snares.
Answer · Michael Russell: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-12074 on 1 May 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of research recently commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to determine the extent of use and humaneness of snares in England and Wales and whether it will ensure that such research is replicated for Scotland.
Answer · Michael Russell: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-12074 on 1 May 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…
21 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the Minister for Environment’s statement on snaring 20 February 2008 (Official Report c. 6079), when it will provide further detail of its proposals to regulate snaring.
Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government is establishing a working group to develop the detail of new legislation to regulate the use of snares the group will include land management and animal welfare groups. It is expected that the group will submit proposals later this yea…
15 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged (a) under 18 and (b) 18 and over have been prosecuted for the offence of proxy purchase of alcohol for supplying it to people aged under 18 in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available information is given in the following table: </p> <p >Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts for Purchasing Excise Liquor for Consumption by Person Under 18<sup>1</sup>, by Approximate Local Authority Area<sup>2</sup>, 2003-04 - 2005-06</…
27 Mar 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what sentencing guidelines are issued to judges for murder convictions.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Scotland at present has no system of sentencing guidelines. However, the Scottish Government believes that there is a case for guidelines to deliver more consistent and transparent sentencing and for setting up a sentencing council to create them. We consider…