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: S3W-19187

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many independent full-time higher education students there are, broken down by age and income.

The number of full-time higher education students classed as independent in the academic year 2007-08 was 22,560. An analysis by age and parental or spousal income, where this was declared to SAAS, is shown in the following table.

Independent-Full Time Students Supported by SAAS 2007-08 by Age and Residual Income

Income group	Age Group
Income group	20 and Under	21-24	25 and Over	All Ages
Income not declared/required	25	35	325	385
< £10,000	25	100	740	865
£10,000 - £19,999	25	90	895	1010
£20,000 - £29,999	10	30	755	800
£30,000 - £39,999	5	5	385	400
£40,000 - £49,999	5	0	130	135
£50,000 or more	10	0	95	105
Exempt from Parental/Spousal Contribution	1,120	4,170	13,575	18,865
Total	1,225	4,430	16,905	22,560

Notes:

The income given is residual income, i.e. after the deductions allowed by SAAS.

Numbers have been rounded to the nearest five.

Question reference: S3W-19184

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, in the event that the inflation rate is higher than interest rates, what the rate will be of student loan interest.

Regulation 14 of the Education (Student Loans) (Scotland) Regulations 2007 effectively provides that that the interest rate applied to Income Contingent Loans is to be the lower of:

(i) a rate equal to the annual percentage increase in the retail price index (RPI)

(the RPI rate), or

(ii) the highest of the base rates used by a pool of banks (including the Bank of

England) plus 1% (the Base Rate).

The recent reduction in the base rates of all of the banks in the pool to 2% has resulted in the RPI rate of 3.8% (for the year from 1 September 2008 to 31 August 2009) exceeding the Base Rate of 3% (2%+1%). This means that the interest rate applied to Income Contingent Loans has reduced from 3.8% to 3% as of 5 December 2008.

Mortgage style loans are governed by different regulations than ICR Loans. These regulations which are made under the Education Student Loans Act 1990 do not require or allow the interest rate applied to mortgage style loans to change in line with any reductions in the Base Rate, so the RPI rate (3.8%) will still apply for the rest of the financial year.

Question reference: S3W-19183

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how decreased interest rates will affect the Scottish Government’s income and expenditure in subsidising student loan interest.

Question reference: S3W-19177

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it makes budgetary assumptions about an annual increase in the level of graduate debt repayment in setting policy on graduate debt and, if so, what it assumes the annual increase to be.

Question reference: S3W-19005

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 8 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it considers should next be taken to secure an upgrade of the Redhouse roundabout on the A92.

The Strategic Transport Projects Review has recommended 29 transport interventions over the next 20 years that will let us plan for the delivery of an efficient, integrated transport network fit for the 21st century.

Delivering the Forth Replacement Crossing is the key strategic priority for Scotland. Alongside this, we will also deliver further rail interventions such as the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvements Programme and improvements to the Highland Main Line.

These and the remaining interventions represent the clear priorities for this government over the next 20 years and will be delivered subject to subsequent spending reviews.

However, other interventions, including upgrading the Redhouse roundabout, could be delivered by interested parties such as regional transport partnerships, local authorities or developers, if they consider them to be viable and the proposals are consistent with strategic priorities for this trunk road route.

Question reference: S3W-19001

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 8 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider providing funds to dual the A92 around Glenrothes.

Question reference: S3W-19000

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 8 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider providing funds to deliver the Leven to Thornton rail link project.

As I announced on 10 December 2008, the delivery of the Forth Crossing is the strategic transport priority for Scotland which will dominate our investment programme until its opening in 2016. Alongside this, we will deliver rail interventions such as the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvements Programme, improvements to the Highland Main Line and improvements between Aberdeen and Inverness.

The Levenmouth Feasibility Study was appraised during the Strategic Transport Project Review process, but was not determined as a priority for implementation as the benefits are focused at a local and regional level.

We will continue to monitor the work of SESTrans on this project.

Question reference: S3W-19004

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 8 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it considers should next be taken to secure the dualing of the A92 around Glenrothes.

Question reference: S3W-18996

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 8 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reasons the Leven to Thornton rail link project was not in the Scottish Transport Projects Review.

The Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) has recommended 29 transport interventions over the next 20 years that will let us plan for the delivery of an efficient, integrated transport network fit for the 21st century.

The Leven to Thornton rail link project was considered as part of the STPR. However, it was not included in the final package of recommended interventions as it was found that it would only provide benefits at a local and regional level.

Question reference: S3W-18997

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 8 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reasons the project to dual the A92 around Glenrothes was not in the Scottish Transport Projects Review.