- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average length of time is to pay off a student loan debt through the taxation system.
Answer
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
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has paid to date to the purchasing banks in respect of the student loans sold by HM Treasury in 1998 and 1999 whose borrowers subsequently satisfied one or more of the conditions for having their loans written off.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28454 on 6 October 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006
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
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).
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many higher education students domiciled in Scotland there were in Scottish institutions in each year since 1999-2000.
Answer
Number of Scottish domiciledhigher education students in Scottish institutions: 1999-2000 to 2004-05
| Year | Total Number of Students |
| 1999-2000 | 203,790 |
| 2000-01 | 206,580 |
| 2001-02 | 211,075 |
| 2002-03 | 203,205 |
| 2003-04 | 205,965 |
| 2004-05 | 206,550 |
Sources: Higher Education StatisticsAgency (HESA) and Scottish Funding Council (SFC)
Note:
1. Numbers have been roundedto the nearest five to protect confidentiality.
2. Numbers include higher educationstudents studying in Scottish higher education institutions or Scottish furthereducation colleges.
The data above includes thosestudying at sub-degree, degree or postgraduate level in the given academic year.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006
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
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.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total current outstanding student loan debt is from Scottish borrowers.
Answer
At the end of the 2005-06 financialyear, the total amount outstanding, per the unaudited accounts, for student loansfrom Scottish borrowers is £1.659 billion.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 22 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 6 October 2006
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
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 free bus travel schemefor older and disabled people and we have no plans to include non-registered servicesin the scheme.
While concessionary cardholdersare therefore not entitled to free travel on the service, they are eligible fora reduced return fare, which is currently £2.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average indebtedness to the Student Loans Company is of all Scottish-domiciled borrowers who graduated or otherwise ceased to borrow in 2006.
Answer
It is not possible to providean answer as those who graduate in 2006 and those who cease to borrow in 2006 enterrepayment in April 2007, therefore the figures are unavailable at this time. However,the following table shows the figures for graduates and others who entered repaymentin April. 2006.
| | Product | Customer Count | Total Debt | Average Debt |
| All Borrowers | Income Contingent Loan | 38,797 | 228,541,774.65 | 5,890.71 |
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 15 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 28 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many electoral arrangement orders for the 2007 elections have been referred back to the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland for review.
Answer
I have not referred anyreviews back to the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 15 September 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 28 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive for which local authorities it has still to approve electoral arrangement orders submitted by the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland, also indicating the length of time since these orders were submitted.
Answer
The Local GovernmentBoundary Commission for Scotland submitted their report on the North LanarkshireCouncil Area on 22 August. This is still within the 6 week period during whichno decisions can be made. Information on other local authority areas for whichan Electoral Arrangements Order has yet to be made (information correct as of22 September) is detailed in the following table:
| Local Authority | Date Report Submitted by Commission |
| Aberdeen City | 1 August 2006 |
| City of Edinburgh | 17 July 2006 |
| Fife | 13 June 2006 |
| Glasgow City | 27 July 2006 |
| Highland | 27 July 2006 |
| Na h-Eileanan an Iar | 10 April 2006 |
| Renfrewshire | 7 August 2006 |
| Scottish Borders | 3 July 2006 |
| Shetland Islands | 10 April 2006 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 17 July 2006 |
| West Lothian | 6 June 2006 |
