Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-08885

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 June 2004
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 24 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are now any plans to increase the graduate endowment threshold repayment above the rate of inflation.

Question reference: S2W-08936

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 June 2004
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 23 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in ensuring that Glasgow Housing Association Ltd meets its targets to achieve second stage transfer to community ownership.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) is committed to achieving its target of transferring its housing stock through second stage transfers into community ownership. Seventeen housing associations have expressed an interest in being part of a prototype programme to be progressed during 2004-05. GHA is currently working with the local housing organisations and other stakeholders, including Communities Scotland, to agree the overall guidance and framework for second stage transfers and Communities Scotland will be responsible for monitoring GHA’s progress with this.

Question reference: S2W-08889

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 June 2004
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to evaluate the effects of the graduate endowment.

The graduate endowment is part of the package of improved student support introduced in 2001-02 which includes bursaries for young students from low-income families. The first graduates liable to pay the endowment will complete courses this year and make their payments on 1 April next year. While we will continue to monitor participation in higher education in the light of the new support arrangements it is too early to begin to evaluate the effects of the graduate endowment.

Question reference: S2W-08886

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 June 2004
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on its plans to commission a Scottish-based student income and expenditure survey.

Question reference: S2W-08890

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 June 2004
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reduce student and graduate debt levels.

The introduction of the Young Student’s Bursary in 2001-02 will help ensure that young students from low income backgrounds, who are more likely to be discouraged from applying to university because of fear of debt, will have less debt than they would have had under the previous support arrangements.

A survey of Scottish students’ income and expenditure has been commissioned to provide us with an accurate picture of the financial position of students to inform future policy development.

Question reference: S2W-08888

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 June 2004
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to reduce drop-out rates in further and higher education.

The Executive recognises the need to see further improvements in levels of retention in further and higher education institutions. Scotland’s retention rates for higher education compare well with other countries, with a completion rate of 83% compared to the OECD average of 77%. In relation to further education, the overall retention rate is 85%.

The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council currently monitors access and retention strategies through consideration of institutions’ strategic plans and reports on progress through a circular letter. It also discusses progress with higher education institutions through a programme of institutional visits. Both Further and Higher Education Funding Councils also monitor the annual performance figures on retention rates for colleges and higher education institutes and actively engage with institutions which appear to be underperforming in this area.

The Executive is also active in developing better collaboration between schools, colleges, Scottish Enterprise and careers guidance with a view to reducing the possibility of learners entering colleges and universities with misplaced aspirations.

The Scottish Further Education Funding Council and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council recognise the additional cost of teaching students from non-traditional backgrounds and provide additional funding to support retention and completion from these groups.

Question reference: S2W-08887

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 June 2004
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to reduce barriers to accessing further and higher education (FE and HE).

The Executive is committed to ensuring that everyone has the chance to learn regardless of their background or current personal circumstances.

In support of our policy of widening participation in further and higher education, the Scottish Further Education Funding Council and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council have put in place a range of measures designed to maximise participation. These include, help with fees for part-time students, child care funding, extra funding to colleges and higher education institutions to support students with learning difficulties or disabilities, extra funding for further education colleges who operate in remote or island areas of Scotland and a social inclusion premium to help colleges and higher education institutions attract and retain students from the most disadvantaged areas.

In addition the Scottish Executive in 2000 introduced free tuition for eligible Scottish domiciled students studying in Scotland and since 2001-02 have provided bursaries to young students from low income families to reduce the amount of debt they accrue during their studies.

Information on the full range of wider access grants can be found in the respective main grant letters to the HE and FE sectors. These are available at:

http://www.sfefc.ac.uk/library/fe1604 and http://www.shefc.ac.uk/library/he1004.

The councils are undertaking a root and branch review of widening access to both further and higher education which will report by the end of the year. This is being chaired by Professor Jim McGoldrick, a member of SHEFC. This group has membership from the HE sector, the FE sector, the NUS, Scottish Enterprise, and a local authority director of education.

Question reference: S2W-08884

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 June 2004
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 22 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-8592 by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 June 2004, what range of decisions the minister can take in relation to the proposals for closure of the Queen Mother's Hospital and what factors the minister is required to take into account in arriving at a decision.

Question reference: S2O-02681

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 June 2004
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 17 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to improve community access to buses.

Question reference: S2W-08367

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 May 2004
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what factors will be taken into account when considering whether there should be a third accident and emergency service in Greater Glasgow as a result of the acute services review.