- Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 January 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 1 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many businesses are expected to be registered for VAT in Scotland in 2014-15 (a) assuming nil inflation and unchanged rules or (b) otherwise.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not provide forecasts of the number of businesses expected to register for VAT in the future. These figures will depend on the future development of a wide range of economic and legislative factors, in Scotland and elsewhere, which cannot be foreseen.
- Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 January 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 1 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many tertiary level students received financial support from public funds in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Answer
Higher Education (HE)Data on student support in higher education is collected by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS). The following table shows the number of HE students who received financial support (either tuition fee, loan or grant support) from public funds for the period 1999-2000 to 2003-04:
| Academic Year | Students Receiving Support |
| 1999-2000 | 105,529 |
| 2000-01 | 115,878 |
| 2001-02 | 119,866 |
| 2002-03 | 121,081 |
| 2003-04 | 121,855 |
Further Education (FE)
Data on students in Further Education is collected and held by the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC). The following table shows the number of FE students who received financial support from public funds for the period 1998-99 to 2002-03, the latest year for which data is available:
| Academic Year | Students Receiving a Bursary |
| 1998-99 | 28,049 |
| 1999-2000 | 32,562 |
| 2000-01 | 31,587 |
| 2001-02 | 34,846 |
| 2002-03 | 35,959 |
A number of students receive no bursary, but do receive financial support through the Further Education Hardship Fund, Young Students Retention Fund or Childcare Fund. Data on this group is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 January 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 1 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many companies it expects to be registered in Scotland in 2014-15.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not provide forecasts of the number of businesses expected to register as companies in the future. These figures will depend on the future development of a wide range of economic and legislative factors, in Scotland and elsewhere, which cannot be foreseen.
- Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 January 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 1 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students it expects will be studying for tertiary level qualifications in 2014-15.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not provide forecasts of the number of students expected to be recruited in Scotland in the future. These figures will depend on a number of different factors, such as demographic change, future skills needs, economic conditions and the impact of local, national and international policies on demand.
- Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 January 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 1 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many tertiary level students who have received financial support from public funds have suspended or terminated their studies, without gaining the qualification studied for, in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Answer
Data on student support in Higher Education is collected by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS). The following table shows the number of HE students who withdrew from their studies without gaining the qualification studied for, having received financial support from public funds, for the period 1999-00 to 2003-04:
Higher Education
| Academic Year | Students Withdrawn Having Received Support |
| 1999-2000 | 5,458 |
| 2000-01 | 6,305 |
| 2001-02 | 6,616 |
| 2002-03 | 4,838 |
| 2003-04 | 6,734 |
Data for further education is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 January 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 1 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many general medical practitioners it expects to be employed in 2014-15.
Answer
NHS board-employed status, as opposed to independent contractor status, became a mainstream contractual option for general medical practitioners through the new General Medical Services Contract, implemented from April 2004.
The future number of general medical practitioners who may be employed by NHS boards is dependent upon the commissioning arrangements which NHS boards put in place for their primary medical services. However, it is anticipated that employed status might develop particularly in rural and remote areas and for Out-of-Hours services.
The number of general medical practitioners who provide NHS services in 2014-15 will also be affected by changes in the way that primary medical services are delivered over the next ten years, which in turn will be affected by changes in the demand placed on the NHS, by the changing balance between primary and secondary care, by changes in skill mix in the workforce, and by developments in medical practice. This makes it impracticable to project a precise number ten years ahead.
However, work is underway to make longer term projections for general medical practitioners as part of the national workforce planning process and preparation for the next National Workforce Plan, which is expected to be published in spring 2005.
- Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 January 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 1 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many lecturers it expects to be employed in Scotland in 2014-15 in (a) universities, (b) colleges of further education and (c) other institutions offering tertiary level qualifications.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not provide forecasts of the number of lecturers expected to be employed in Scotland in the future. Specific decisions on staffing levels lie with individual institutions and are driven by a number of factors including demographic change, economic conditions and the impact of local, national and international policies on demand.
- Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 January 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 1 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many blood donors have been (a) lost and (b) recruited by the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service since the statement on variant CJD by the Minister for Health and Community Care on 17 March 2004.
Answer
The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) has reported that 9,500 donors have been deferred since the introduction of the deferral policy announced on 17 March 2004. However, following the implementation by SNBTS of an effective marketing and publicity strategy the number of active donors has increased by over 2% from 194,250 to 199,003.
I would take this opportunity to remind everyone that it is important not to lose sight of the key role that blood donations play in providing essential treatment and saving lives. It is essential that people to come forward and regularly donate blood.
- Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 07 January 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 1 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses it expects to be employed in 2014-15.
Answer
The number of nurses required to provide NHS services in 2014-15 will be subject to changes in the way services are delivered over the next ten years.
Work is underway to project the number of nurses and midwives required in 10 years time as part of the national workforce planning process and preparation for the next National Workforce Plan, which is expected to be published in spring 2005.
A Partnership for a Better Scotland: Partnership Agreement sets out the Scottish Executive’s commitment to delivering excellent public services in Scotland, a number of which are specific to health. One of these is to attract 12,000 nurses and midwives into the NHS by 2007 which we remain on track to achieve and surpass.
- Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 January 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 1 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many manufacturing jobs were lost in (a) Scotland, (b) Aberdeen, (c) Edinburgh, (d) Dundee, (e) Glasgow and (f) Stirling in each quarter since January 2000.
Answer
Statistics on the total number of jobs lost are not held centrally.
However, data is available on the change in the level of manufacturing jobs.
Table 1 – Quarterly change in the level of manufacturing jobs.
| | Scotland |
| Jun 04 - Sep 04 | -2,070 |
| Mar 04 - Jun 04 | 690 |
| Dec 03 - Mar 04 | -4,670 |
| Sep 03 - Dec 03 | -3,210 |
| Jun 03 - Sep 03 | -4,910 |
| Mar 03 - Jun 03 | -5,300 |
| Dec 02 - Mar 03 | -6,430 |
| Sep 02 - Dec 02 | -6,750 |
| Jun 02 - Sep 02 | -3,830 |
| Mar 02 - Jun 02 | -2,820 |
| Dec 01 - Mar 02 | -8,210 |
| Sep 01 - Dec 01 | -6,700 |
| Jun 01 - Sep 01 | -3,580 |
| Mar 01 - Jun 01 | -1,480 |
| Dec 00 - Mar 01 | -5,300 |
| Sep 00 - Dec 00 | -1,790 |
| Jun 00 - Sep 00 | -1,550 |
| Mar 00 - Jun 00 | -3,520 |
Source: Quarterly Employee Jobs.
This information is not available quarterly for geographies below Scotland level. However, annual data is available from Annual Business Inquiry, which is carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Table 2: Annual Change in level of manufacturing jobs
| | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2002-01 | 2002-03 |
| Scotland | -12,980 | -17,020 | -21,640 | -19,860 |
| Aberdeen | -610 | 440 | -730 | -2,910 |
| Edinburgh | -2,140 | -2,640 | -880 | -2,300 |
| Dundee | -260 | 30 | -1900 | 680 |
| Glasgow | -1,110 | 300 | -2,710 | -1,900 |
| Stirling | -430 | -80 | -660 | -160 |
Source: Annual Business Inquiry.
