Chamber and committees

The UK Government is committed to ensuring that terrestrial analogue broadcasting signals are maintained until:

Everyone who can currently get the main public service broadcasting channels in analogue form (BBC1 and 2, ITV, Channel 4/S4C and Channel 5) can receive them on digital systems, and

Switching to digital is an affordable option for the vast majority of people;

As a target indicator of affordability 95% of consumers have access to digital equipment.

On 14 September 2004, Ofcom issued a consultation paper setting out the terms of digital replacement licences (DRLs) which Ofcom intends to offer to the ITV Companies, Channel 4, Five and Teletext. Ofcom proposes that holders of DRLs willhave an obligation to convert all 1,154 transmitters from analogue to digital television broadcasting for digital switchover. Under Ofcom’s proposals, households that currently receive analogue transmissions should be able to receive a digital signal at switchover.

It will be condition of the DRLs that licensees must ensure Switchover is completed by 2012. This is in line with dates suggested by the BBC in their 29 June publication Building Public Value. The dates of specific station and transmitter conversion will vary from licence to licence, reflecting the current list of transmission stations and the sequence of regional switchover.

Although the Government has not yet confirmed a timetable for digital switchover, Tessa Jowell, in a statement on 22 July 2004, indicated that the start of switchover could begin as early as 2007. The Secretary of State believes that switchover needs to be broadcaster-led but that the final decision on timetable should balance these benefits against the need to ensure that the interests of the most vulnerable consumers are protected.

She has asked Ofcom’s independent consumer panel to consider what measures might be necessary to ensure this protection and report to DCMS later this year with their advice.

My officials are in touch with DCMS to ensure that any social inclusions issues for Scotland arising from digital switchover are fully considered.

The code of practice offers guidance to Scottish public authorities on the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. The act does not require publication in every case. The SPS will decide on the extent of publication of any future the SPS contract for private prisons on the merits of each case. Given the Executive’s commitment to openness, such contracts entered into by the SPS will as in the past, normally be published by the SPS subject to appropriate protection of material exempt under the act to safeguard, for example, commercial interests or security and good order in prisons.

Information in the form requested is not readily available. The available information on prisoner receptions covering the last five years is published in the Scottish Executive Statistical Bulletin.

Copies of the Scottish Executive Statistical Bulletin are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. reference 33610).

However, when considering or pursuing confiscation proceedings against an individual, the Crown makes full investigation into the financial position of that person. Confiscation proceedings can only be pursued by the Crown when a person has been convicted of a relevant offence and when that person holds assets.

“Thank you for your letter of 12 June 2004 about the financial support available to student parents in academic year 2004-05. I apologise for the delay in replying. I have also received correspondence on this issue from several members of the Scottish Parliament, and have responded directly to Melanie Ward of NUS Scotland on this matter.

As you know, from April 2003, the new tax credit system became available to students depending on their income. Effectively, this change meant that most eligible students would get, through the tax credit system, most of the help that they were receiving under the student support system in the form of the dependant’s and school meals grants. We could not justify maintaining this double provision but we did want to make sure that students were not adversely affected while the tax credit arrangements were implemented. That is why we decided that no change would be made to the dependant’s grant or the school meals grant until academic year 2004-05.

I am aware that, as Ms Ward points out in her letter, students with one dependent child may be financially worse off under the tax credit system than they would have been under the dependant’s grant. Decisions about the allocation of limited funds are always difficult, particularly when they concern vulnerable groups, but we would not have made this decision if we were not convinced that other forms of support were available. As you know, one of the other changes we have made to student support from 2004-05 is to reallocate to the hardship funds budget the resources previously used to provide hardship loans to students in financial difficulties. This will increase the amount of non-repayable support available to students and we will make it clear in the guidance issued to institutions that we expect priority to be given to students who have one dependent child when hardship funds awards are made.

We have recently completed a review of learner funding which included consideration of the support available to students with dependent children. My officials are continuing to work with key stakeholders, including the National Union of Students, to develop effective policies to address the financial and practical barriers that these students may face when entering or continuing in further and higher education. The Executive is committed to the elimination of child poverty and to preventing poverty in the future and support for student parents is a key element of that objective. This is why we provide additional financial support of up to £1,150 a year to lone parent students and a further grant of up to £1,075 a year to help with the cost of registered or formal childcare. It is also why we are providing £20 million in Communities funding between 2004-06 to help disadvantaged parents in deprived areas into work by ensuring that availability of child care is not a barrier to entering education, training or employment. We have also provided funding for the mentoring initiative for lone parents which helps individuals move closer to education and suitable child care and by signposting other services which can assist in overcoming a variety of barriers.

I hope that this reassures you that support for student parents is an issue which we continue to take seriously and one which we are addressing in a variety of ways.”

There are 140 additional cases which are on the register but no court details are included. It is therefore not possible to include them in the table. The total is 2,403.