Chamber and committees

The administration of student loans is within the remit of the Student Loans Company. Information on the total value of all student loans to Scottish-domiciled graduates that have been written off is not held centrally by the Scottish Executive.

The Scottish Executive holds data collected from surveys conducted around six months after students graduate from higher education courses at Scottish higher education institutions and further education colleges. The survey to graduates from higher education institutions, which is carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), gives data on the location of employment for those graduates who are employed at that point. If the graduate has gone on to further study, the name of the institution at which they are studying is collected. Although not all graduates respond, response rates are high, typically 70 to 80 percent, so this survey gives valuable information on the movement of graduates soon after they graduate.

HESA is developing, in consultation with the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, a follow-up to the above survey to be conducted three and a half years after graduation which will target a sample of graduates. The survey is still in development and is being piloted this year. If the pilot is successful, and the follow-up survey goes ahead, there will be data available to the Executive on graduates from Scottish institutions. The target is for the survey to start collecting data on graduates from the 2002-03 cohort in 2007.

For higher education graduates from colleges the Scottish Further Education Funding Council collects information on whether the any employment is in Scotland or elsewhere.

In addition, the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which is carried out by the Office for National Statistics, can be used to monitor the movement and location of graduates. The LFS questionnaire includes a variety of questions on labour market activity, residency and qualifications. However, the LFS does not ask where a graduate obtained his/her degree so graduates of Scottish institutions cannot be specifically identified.

The administration of student loans is within the remit of the Student Loans Company. Information on both the value of student loans paid out to Scottish-domiciled students and the value of repayments from Scottish-domiciled graduates is not held centrally by the Scottish Executive.

This is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority. The information requested is not held centrally.

We will continue to work with those that don't make the first tranche to explore their potential for joining the programme at a later date.

All local authorities are required by section 78R of Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to keep a public register. Section 78R(1) specifies what material is to be in the register, with the detail prescribed in the Contaminated Land (Scotland) Regulations 2000.

Local authorities were invited to submit bids which outlined a strong vision of future success, ambition, commitment and a convincing case for change. They were asked to provide a statement of:

Vision: a picture of what will be achieved over the transformation period and what success will look like;

Impact: how the transformation process will engage pupils, staff, parents and other key stakeholders, and what outcomes will be delivered for them, and;

Action: the key elements of the transformation.

The initial assessment of the bids was made on the basis of the above information. Schools will now be visited and have their plans intensively scrutinised before a decision is made on which are ready to become the first Schools of Ambition.

Yes. This was announced on 19 April 2005. The list is as follows:

Aberdeen City – Northfield Academy and St Machar Academy

Aberdeenshire – Fraserburgh Academy

Angus – Arbroath Academy and Brechin High

Argyll and Bute – Islay High

Dumfries and Galloway – Dumfries Academy, Castle Douglas High and Wallace Hall Academy

Dundee City – Braeview Academy, St John’s RC High, Morgan Academy

East Ayrshire – Doon Academy

East Dunbartonshire – St Ninian’s High and Campsie View School

East Lothian – Preston Lodge High, Ross High and Dunbar Grammar

East Renfrewshire – Barrhead High

Edinburgh City – Craigroyston High

Falkirk – Braes High

Fife – Buckhaven High and Kirkland High

Glasgow City – Rosshall Academy, St Paul’s High, Springburn Academy and Castlemilk High/St Margaret Mary’s Secondary (joint bid)

Highland – Inverness High

Midlothian – Newbattle High School

Moray – Lossiemouth High

North Ayrshire – Ardrossan Academy

North Lanarkshire – Cardinal Newman High

Perth & Kinross – Blairgowrie High

Renfrewshire – Linwood High

Scottish Borders – Hawick High

Shetland Isles – Anderson High and Scalloway Junior High

South Ayrshire – Carrick Academy

South Lanarkshire – Learning community around Lanark Grammar, taking in 12 establishments

Stirling – St Modan’s RC High

West Dunbartonshire – Our Lady and St Patrick’s High

West Lothian – Burnhouse School

Provided the plans are ambitious enough and will deliver real improvements, the Scottish Executive will act as guarantor of at least an additional £100,000 per year for an agreed period. Benefactors of the school may offer additional support that will allow the school to add value and extra options to transform the life of the school.

I refer to the answer toquestion S2W-15389 on 13 April 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for whichcan be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.