Questions and answers

Question reference: S3W-20434

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 24 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20037 by Fiona Hyslop on 29 January 2009, how much would be saved by abolishing the £150 bonus payment for people in receipt of an Educational Maintenance Allowance of (a) £10 and (b) £20.

Question reference: S3W-20542

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 24 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many further education students it estimates to have dependent children.

Question reference: S3W-20470

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged 16 to 19 were not in education, employment or training in each of the last five years for which information is available and when updated statistics will be published.

The Annual Population Survey is the official source for national estimates of the numbers of people aged 16 to 19 who were not in education, employment or training. The estimates for each the last five years for which data are available are given in table 1. The estimate for the year 2008 will be published in June or July 2009 when results from the Annual Population Survey are published. The 2007 Annual Population Survey results can be found at this page on the Scottish Government website:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Labour-Market/Publications.

Table 1 People Aged 16 to 19 Not in Education, Employment or Training, Scotland

Year	Level
2003	35,000
2004	35,000
2005	37,000
2006	32,000
2007	32,000

Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003 (March 2003 to February 2004). Annual Population Survey 2004 onwards.

Note: Estimates have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

Question reference: S3W-20001

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many students (a) qualified for and (b) received means-tested loans in each of the last three years, broken down by (i) assessed income, (ii) amount received, (iii) independent or dependent status and (iv) whether they are studying at college or university.

Tables 1 to 3 show students who applied for and were assessed as entitled to means-tested maintenance loans in academic years 2005-06 to 2007-08 broken down by institution type and parental/spousal income.

Table 1: Students Assessed as Entitled to Means-Tested Loans and Assessed Amounts by Institution Type and Income 2005-06

Income	Higher Education Institution		College		Total
Income	Number of Students	Amount (£000)	Number of Students	Amount (£000)	Number of Students	Amount (£000)
< £10k	6,180	9,831	2,680	4,184	8,885	14,076
£10,000 - £19,999	8,120	12,437	2,520	4,152	10,655	16,627
£20,000 - £29,999	7,955	14,881	1,785	3,390	9,755	18,309
£30,000 - £39,999	7,220	13,031	1,215	2,179	8,450	15,239
£40,000 - £49,999	4,815	5,191	650	640	5,475	5,839
£50,000 and above	1,660	1,681	110	123	1,780	1,813
Income not declared/required	1,600	2,677	950	1,523	2,560	4,230
Exempt from Parental/Spousal Contribution	8,990	28,681	5,785	19,864	14,835	48,739
Total	46,540	88,409	15,700	36,056	62,395	124,872

Source: Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).

Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest five.

Monetary amounts have been rounded to the nearest thousand and are quoted in thousands.

The Total columns contain a small number of students attending other institution types.

Table 2: Students Assessed as Entitled to Means-Tested Loans and Assessed Amounts by Institution Type and Income 2006-07

Income	Higher Education Institution		College		Total
Income	Number of Students	Amount (£000)	Number of Students	Amount (£000)	Number of Students	Amount (£000)
< £10k	5,680	9,151	2,390	3,896	8,090	13,110
£10,000 - £19,999	7,615	11,947	2,300	3,919	9,930	15,900
£20,000 - £29,999	7,250	13,699	1,560	3,006	8,830	16,752
£30,000 - £39,999	6,780	12,949	1,140	2,187	7,935	15,166
£40,000 - £49,999	4,800	5,455	580	627	5,395	6,106
£50,000 and above	1,900	1,839	155	153	2,055	1,997
Income not declared/required	1,575	2,680	815	1,450	2,400	4,155
Exempt from Parental/Spousal Contribution	8,850	29,012	5,800	20,506	14,700	49,667
Total	44,450	86,733	14,740	35,744	59,340	122,854

Source: Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS)

Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest five.

Monetary amounts have been rounded to the nearest thousand and are quoted in thousands.

The Total columns contain a small number of students attending other institution types.

Table 3: Students Assessed as Entitled to Means-Tested Loans and Assessed Amounts by Institution Type and Income 2007-08

Income	Higher Education Institution		College		Total
Income	Number of Students	Amount (£000)	Number of Students	Amount (£000)	Number of Students	Amount (£000)
< £10k	5,305	8,648	2,155	3,613	7,480	12,312
£10,000 - £19,999	7,245	11,467	2,065	3,667	9,330	15,177
£20,000 - £29,999	6,645	12,588	1,475	2,890	8,135	15,511
£30,000 - £39,999	6,315	12,686	1,100	2,171	7,430	14,893
£40,000 - £49,999	4,840	5,857	595	683	5,450	6,554
£50,000 and above	2,225	2,222	170	158	2,400	2,389
Income not declared/required	1,355	2,356	705	1,255	2,065	3,625
Exempt from Parental/Spousal Contribution	9,040	30,224	6,125	22,245	15,210	52,629
Total	42,975	86,047	14,390	36,682	57,500	123,091

Source: Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS)

Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest five.

Monetary amounts have been rounded to the nearest thousand and are quoted in thousands.

The Total columns contain a small number of students attending other institution types.

Tables 4 to 6 show students who applied for and were assessed as entitled to means-tested maintenance loans in academic years 2005-06 to 2007-08 broken down by status, i.e. whether they are independent from their parents or not, and parental/spousal income.

Table 4: Students Assessed as Entitled to Means-Tested Loans and Assessed Amounts by Status and Income 2005-06

Income	Dependent		Independent		Total
Income	Number of Students	Amount (£000)	Number of Students	Amount (£000)	Number of Students	Amount (£000)
< £10k	8,040	11,230	845	2,846	8,885	14,076
£10,000 - £19,999	9,590	13,057	1,065	3,570	10,655	16,627
£20,000 - £29,999	8,990	16,095	765	2,214	9,755	18,309
£30,000 - £39,999	8,130	14,614	320	625	8,450	15,239
£40,000 - £49,999	5,370	5,733	105	106	5,475	5,839
£50,000 and above	1,770	1,805	5	8	1,780	1,813
Income not declared/required	2,195	3,007	370	1,223	2,560	4,230
Exempt from Parental/Spousal Contribution			14,835	48,739	14,835	48,739
Total	44,085	65,541	18,310	59,330	62,395	124,872

Source: Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS)

Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest five.

Monetary amounts have been rounded to the nearest thousand and are quoted in thousands.

Table 5: Students Assessed as Entitled to Means-Tested Loans and Assessed Amounts by Status and Income 2006-07

Income	Dependent		Independent		Total
Income	Number of Students	Amount (£000)	Number of Students	Amount (£000)	Number of Students	Amount (£000)
< £10k	7,310	10,466	780	2,644	8,090	13,110
£10,000 - £19,999	8,935	12,425	1,000	3,475	9,930	15,900
£20,000 - £29,999	8,090	14,530	735	2,222	8,830	16,752
£30,000 - £39,999	7,600	14,468	335	698	7,935	15,166
£40,000 - £49,999	5,310	6,003	90	104	5,395	6,106
£50,000 and above	2,040	1,980	15	17	2,055	1,997
Income not declared/required	2,040	2,925	360	1,230	2,400	4,155
Exempt from Parental/Spousal Contribution			14,700	49,667	14,700	49,667
Total	41,320	62,796	18,015	60,058	59,340	122,854

Source: Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS)

Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest five.

Monetary amounts have been rounded to the nearest thousand and are quoted in thousands.

Table 6: Students Assessed as Entitled to Means-Tested Loans and Assessed Amounts by Status and Income 2007-08

Income	Dependent		Independent		Total
Income	Number of Students	Amount (£000)	Number of Students	Amount (£000)	Number of Students	Amount (£000)
< £10k	6,755	9,805	725	2,507	7,480	12,312
£10,000 - £19,999	8,445	12,091	880	3,086	9,330	15,177
£20,000 - £29,999	7,440	13,344	690	2,167	8,135	15,511
£30,000 - £39,999	7,100	14,149	330	744	7,430	14,893
£40,000 - £49,999	5,335	6,412	115	141	5,450	6,554
£50,000 and above	2,375	2,369	25	21	2,400	2,389
Income not declared/required	1,755	2,535	310	1,090	2,065	3,625
Exempt from Parental/Spousal Contribution			15,210	52,629	15,210	52,629
Total	39,210	60,705	18,290	62,386	57,500	123,091

Source: Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS)

Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest five.

Monetary amounts have been rounded to the nearest thousand and are quoted in thousands.

All six tables contain details of students who were assessed as entitled to means-tested loans i.e. either the means-tested maintenance loan and/or the additional means-tested maintenance loan. Income bands are based on residual parental or, in the case of students who are married or in a civil partnership, spousal income. This is income after deductions allowed by SAAS have been subtracted.

Students apply to SAAS for loans. SAAS calculates a student''s loan entitlement and the Student Loans Company (SLC) extends the loan. The figures in the tables relate to entitlements rather than amounts taken out with the SLC. The majority of students (99% of full-time students) go on to take out almost all (97-98%) of the total entitlement calculated by SAAS.

Question reference: S3W-20255

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many students receive the full Young Students’ Bursary, broken down by assessed income.

The table below shows students who received the maximum amount of Young Student''s Bursary in academic year 2007-08 broken down by parental/spousal income.

Income band	Number of Students
< £5,000	2,860
£5,000 - £9,999	4,820
£10,000 - £14,999	5,040
£15,000 and above	3,385
Income not declared/required	1,940
Exempt from parental/spousal contribution	485
Total	18,535

Note: Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest five.

Income bands are based on residual parental or, in the case of students who are married or in a civil partnership, spousal income. This is income after deductions allowed by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) have been subtracted.

Question reference: S3W-20000

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time higher education students received the maximum amount of means-tested loan in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) whether studying at college or university, (b) independent or dependent status and (c) income.

This information is not held centrally. The maximum amounts of means tested loan depend on students'' individual study circumstances, including their exact course length. SAAS record the amount of loan assessed but they do not record whether the amount is the maximum for the particular set of circumstances.

(a) The following table shows the number of students assessed by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) as entitled to means tested loans broken down by the total amount of loan they were assessed for and their institution type. The total amount of loan includes the non-means tested element. Students receiving non-means tested loans only are not included in the table.

Total Loan	2005-2006			2006-2007			2007-2008
Total Loan	Higher Education Institution	College	Total	Higher Education Institution	College	Total	Higher Education Institution	College	Total
Total	46,540	15,700	62,395	44,450	14,740	59,340	42,975	14,390	57,500
Up to £1,000	1,430	285	1,715	1,300	245	1,545	1,155	230	1,390
£1,000-1,499	5,140	2,755	7,900	3,755	2,300	6,055	3,465	1,700	5,170
£1,500-1,999	7,740	2,265	10,020	8,550	2,110	10,675	8,020	2,060	10,095
£2,000-2,499	10,640	1,825	12,470	9,705	1,565	11,285	8,640	1,570	10,220
£2,500-2,999	4,745	945	5,695	4,835	945	5,795	5,510	945	6,465
£3,000-3,499	3,910	1,020	4,940	3,945	960	4,915	3,935	945	4,890
£3,500-3,999	3,340	660	4,025	3,275	510	3,810	3,490	530	4,025
£4,000-4,499	7,725	4,440	12,220	7,390	4,410	11,830	5,870	3,975	9,865
£4,500-4,999	1,535	1,490	3,045	1,425	1,670	3,120	2,675	1,785	4,500
£5,000 and above	335	15	370	275	15	305	220	645	875

Notes:

Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest five.

Total columns include a small number of students studying at other institution types.

(b) The following table shows the number of students assessed by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) as entitled to means tested loans broken down by the total amount of loan they were assessed for and status (i.e. whether they are independent from their parents or not). The total amount of loan includes the non-means tested element. Students receiving non-means tested loans only are not included in the table.

Total Loan	2005-2006			2006-2007			2007-2008
Total Loan	Dependent	Independent	Total	Dependent	Independent	Total	Dependent	Independent	Total
Total	44,085	18,310	62,395	41,320	18,015	59,340	39,210	18,290	57,500
Up to £1,000	1,660	55	1,715	1,490	55	1,545	1,335	55	1,390
£1,000-1,499	7,795	105	7,900	5,965	95	6,055	5,085	85	5,170
£1,500-1,999	9,830	190	10,020	10,485	190	10,675	9,875	220	10,095
£2,000-2,499	12,085	385	12,470	10,865	420	11,285	9,805	415	10,220
£2,500-2,999	5,385	310	5,695	5,460	340	5,795	6,100	365	6,465
£3,000-3,499	3,735	1,205	4,940	3,835	1,080	4,915	4,005	885	4,890
£3,500-3,999	1,550	2,475	4,025	1,555	2,255	3,810	1,690	2,335	4,025
£4,000-4,499	1,650	10,575	12,220	1,250	10,580	11,830	940	8,925	9,865
£4,500-4,999	190	2,855	3,045	270	2,850	3,120	250	4,250	4,500
£5,000 and above	210	155	370	150	155	305	120	755	875

Note: Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest five.

Question reference: S3W-19985

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19193 by Fiona Hyslop on 15 January 2009, whether calculations were undertaken in costing option 1b in its Supporting a Smarter Scotland consultation paper at £23 million and what the detail and basis of these calculations were.

The calculations and costings in the consultation document were based on data and intelligence available at the time.

Option 1b, like the other options in the consultation paper, is an example of how the additional £30 million available for higher education student support in 2010-11 could be used to improve the current student support system. The ultimate cost to the Scottish Government for all of these options would be £30 million and the basis for these costs, primarily the number of students affected and the relevant thresholds, are set out in the consultation paper. Further costs would only be produced after proposals are established following consideration of responses to the consultation. The consultation runs until 30 April 2009.

Question reference: S3W-19986

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether calculations have been made to cost any of the options outlined in its Supporting a Smarter Scotland consultation paper and, if so, what the detail and basis are of these calculations.

The calculations and costings in the consultation document were based on data and intelligence available at the time.

The options outlined in the consultation paper are examples of how the additional £30 million available for higher education student support in 2010-11 could be used to improve the current student support system. The ultimate cost to the Scottish Government for all of these options would be £30 million and the basis for these costs, primarily the number of students affected and the relevant thresholds, are set out in the consultation paper. Further costs would only be produced after proposals are established following consideration of responses to the consultation. The consultation runs until 30 April 2009.

Question reference: S3W-20041

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many students would benefit from extending the Education Maintenance Allowance to students studying in the private, independent and third sector, as proposed in 16+ Learning Choices: First Step Activity and Financial Support.

Young people in the independent school sector are already able to apply via their local authority for Education Maintenance Allowance.

Our consultation proposes the extension of support to young people learning with third sector providers as part of an overall approach to developing Activity Agreements.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20042 on 29 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Question reference: S3W-20039

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated savings would be from abolishing the Young Person's Bridging Allowance, as proposed in 16+ Learning Choices: First Step Activity and Financial Support.

Chamber and committees