Chamber and committees

The Ministry of Defence haveyet to announce their final decision on the future of the Scottish regiments, includingthe Black Watch.

Students studying with Open University are defined as distance learners in relation to student support. Eligible full-time, part-time and distance learning students who incur additional expenditure whilst undertaking their course because of their disability can apply for additional support in the form of a Disabled Students Allowance (DSA). The DSA comprises a yearly basic allowance of £1,525 and a non-medical personal help allowance of £11,550. These allowances are paid on a pro-rata basis to those studying part-time or by distance learning. A further allowance of up to £4,565 for the purchase of major items of equipment is available for the duration of the course. Help with the cost of travel may also be provided where the student incurs additional costs as a result of theirdisability.

The non-medical personal help allowance and help with the cost of travel (for both the student and their helper if required) are available to distance learning students for attendance at tutorials and summer schools which form a compulsory part of the course.

Following the review of Funding of Learners, the Disabled Students Stakeholder group was established to consider and address issues relating to the support available for disability related additional needs in further and higher education. The Open University disability adviser has recently joined the group.

No.

As part of our commitment to address climate change, the Scottish Executive has set targets for the production of more electricity from renewable sources. It is expected that wind energy will play a significant part in achieving those targets. There are around 15 windfarms operating across Scotland, and that number might be expected to double in the next five years as developers respond to the Executive’s policy commitment.

The Executive considers that, at the existing level of development, the impact of windfarms on tourism in Scotland is relatively minor. Indeed, there is evidence that renewable energy development is seen by at least some visitors as evidence that Scotland is an environmentally friendly country which takes itsclimate change obligations seriously. However, we do understand the importance oftourism to the rural economy and, through VisitScotland, we are fully committedto the promotion of rural tourism. That is why, with an increasing number of proposed windfarm developments and planning applications in the pipeline, we encourage developers of new windfarms to consult widely on their proposals with local communities, including community councils and other local interest as specified under Section 36 of the 1989 Electricity Act.

This is a matter for the Scottish Renewables Forum, which is a membership organisation independent of the Scottish Executive. The information requested is not held centrally.

Forty-three thousand, three hundered and eighty-eight individuals have completed the current Skillseekers programme since its inception.

The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Councils provide recurrent funding based mainly on factors such as student population and activity. It is up to the institutions themselves to decide on how funding is used. Neither funding council specifies how much funding should be spent on advice to students nor do they require institutions to report on this. In relation to the administration of discretionary funds, again the amount of funding allocated by colleges and universities to this area of their business is for each institution to decide.

This information is not held in the form requested.

Colleges are funded based on a target of weighted student units of measurement (WSUMs). The following table shows the WSUMs completed at colleges from 1999-2000 to 2002-03 (the latest year available).

The core recurrent funding which the Scottish Further Education Funding Council agrees to provide to each college is not split between full-time and part-time. It is up to colleges themselves to decide on the detailed use of funds. The table shows the WSUMs generated by full-time activity and those generated by part-time activity. These proportions have then been applied to the total core recurrent funding received by colleges to give as close an indication as possible of the funding which would have been attributed to full-time and part-time students respectively.

Colleges can receive funding in addition to core recurrent funding (e.g. for estates maintenance, student bursaries, and specific initiatives). However, it is colleges’ core recurrent funding which is associated directly with taught student activity.

	*No. of Student Enrolments at Scottish Further Education Colleges		Weighted Student Units of Measurement (WSUMs)				Recurrent Funding
Year	Full-Time	Part-Time	Full-Time	Part-Time	Full-Time (%)	Part-Time (%)	Full-Time	Part-Time
1998-99	67,301	354,255	1,220,972	747,750	62	38	£140,985,562	£86,342,650
1999-2000	68,122	366,313	1,236,277	736,513	63	37	£155,133,765	£92,421,035
2000-01	72,855	414,486	1,238,845	776,803	61	39	£157,633,059	£98,841,941
2001-02	72,809	442,068	1,304,840	813,246	62	38	£161,347,856	£100,560,647
2002-03	73,178	416,444	1,342,550	786,142	63	37	£169,291,610	£99,130,126

Note: *The above data represent enrolments on individual courses at further education colleges. Students may enrol on more than one course in an academic year.

Ardoch Roman fort and annexe are privately owned and are scheduled as monuments of national importance under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

The on-going management of the site is the responsibility of the owner. Historic Scotland has, however, paid grants on several occasions for works to improve the management of the site.

The most serious and visible management problem at Ardoch is the burrowing of rabbits. Negotiations are currently in progress between Historic Scotland and the owners of the monument over a management agreement aimed at reducing rabbit numbers on the northern half of the site. This would run in conjunction with a programme of archaeological management on the southern half of the site under the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department’s Rural Stewardship Scheme.

In 2001-02 an estimated 58 per cent of higher education graduates from Scottish higher education institutions and further education colleges aged 50 to 54 were in employment six months after graduation. The equivalent estimate for students of all ages is 61 per cent.

The available data does not distinguish between those who received support and those who did not.