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: S4W-18790

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the students in 2012-13 who were classified by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland as being exempt from parental contribution were independent or studying (a) part-time and (b) full-time at a further education college.

Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) operates separate support schemes for students in full time higher education and those in part-time education. Different funding arrangements apply.

a) SAAS only hold information on the total number of independent full-time students. It is not possible to identify the total number of independent part-time students.

b) In 2012-13, 7410 full-time students at a further education college were funded by SAAS that were classed as ‘independent’.

Question reference: S4W-18793

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the average loan authorised by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland was for young students with a household income below £30,000 in 2012-13, including students exempt from contributions.

Question reference: S4W-18788

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-18322 by Michael Russell on 25 November 2013, whether a young person leaving care (a) is assessed as independent and (b) can apply for (i) a Young or (ii) an Independent Student Bursary.

Question reference: S4W-18789

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many students were included in the category, income not declared/required, by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland because their income was low enough for them to receive a full support package in 2012-13 and how much in student loans was authorised for this group in 2012-13.

Question reference: S4W-18791

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how much in loans was authorised by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland to meet the cost of tuition in other parts of the UK, broken down by residual household income.

The details in the following table show the amount of loans paid by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland to meet the cost of tuition fees in other parts of the UK:

All Scottish domiciled students studying in the rest of the UK receiving tuition fees by household residual income, 2012-13	Amount (£000s)
All	15,460
Less than £10,000	1,153
£10,000 - £19,999	1,511
£20,000 - £29,999	1,379
£30,000 - £39,999	1,019
£40,000 - £49,999	772
£50,000 - £59,999	548
£60,000 - £69,999	555
£70,000 - £79,999	358
£80,000 - £89,999	182
£90,000 - £99,998	164
£99,999 and above	545
Income not declared/required	5,719
Exempt from Parental Contribution	1,555

(Source: The Student Awards Agency for Scotland)

Question reference: S4W-18794

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it no longer provides Scottish students studying in London with additional support for living costs.

Question reference: S4W-18795

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government in what year additional support for Scottish students studying in London was last made available and what the (a) maximum value of additional support and (b) total amount paid was that year.

Additional support was last made available to students studying in London in 2012-13.

a) The maximum support for students studying a 30 week course in London was £6,690. This was £1120 higher than students studying a 30 week course elsewhere.

Courses longer than 30 weeks in London attracted additional support of £109 per week. This was £24 higher than the additional support for a course elsewhere.

b) It is not possible to identify the total amount of additional support awarded in 2012-13 to students studying in London.

Question reference: S4W-18796

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17798 by Michael Russell on 8 November 2013, whether it will publish the text used in the email sent to students by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland.

The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) already provided this information to Ms Dugdale on 9 September 2013, following a Freedom of Information request.

Here is the original email sent to students in August 2012.

‘The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has announced a new funding package for living costs which will apply to Scottish domiciled undergraduate students, studying a course of higher education within the UK in academic year 2013-2014 onwards. The full statement can be found here (link to press release).

Details of the new funding package are available at:

http://www.saas.gov.uk/student_support/funding_update.htm (web page no longer available)

Please note that these changes apply to both new and continuing students from academic year 2013-2014 onwards, regardless of when you start your course. Students in attendance this year (autumn 2012) will receive the existing funding package for academic year 2012-2013. If you have already received your SAAS award notice for academic year 2012-2013, there will be no change to the amounts shown on this letter. The new funding package will then apply to all undergraduate students from academic year 2013-2014 (autumn 2013) onwards.

If you have any queries relating to this announcement, please call our contact centre on 0300 555 0505’.

Question reference: S4W-18786

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many students at further education colleges who were awarded a Young Student Bursary in 2012-13 received (a) the maximum bursary, (b) £1,000 to £2,639 and (c) below £1,000.

Question reference: S4W-18943

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its Council of Economic Advisers' work on childcare.

The minutes of the meeting of the Council of Economic Advisers on 30 August 2013, where the issue of the economic and social impacts of improving childcare provision in Scotland was discussed, are available on the Scottish Government’s website at the following address:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/Council-Economic-Advisers/Meetings

The analysis informing the Council of Economic Advisers’ deliberations will be reflected in the annual chair’s report of the Council of Economic Advisers. It is anticipated that the chair’s report will be published in Spring 2014.