- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total current outstanding student loan debt is from Scottish borrowers.
Answer
At the end of the 2005-06 financialyear, the total amount outstanding, per the unaudited accounts, for student loansfrom Scottish borrowers is £1.659 billion.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average length of time is to pay off a student loan debt.
Answer
It is not possible to providedetails on the actual time taken for graduates to repay their loans. A forecastof the average time to repay can however be estimated using the Student Loan Modelan estimate using this model was provided in answer to question S2W-20429 on the16 November 2005. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.The estimate calculated at thattime was 13 years. This is still the most up to date estimate. The Scottish Executivewill be updating the model before the end of the year at which point it will bepossible to provide an update on this figure.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many higher education students domiciled in Scotland there were in Scottish institutions in each year since 1999-2000.
Answer
Number of Scottish domiciledhigher education students in Scottish institutions: 1999-2000 to 2004-05
| Year | Total Number of Students |
| 1999-2000 | 203,790 |
| 2000-01 | 206,580 |
| 2001-02 | 211,075 |
| 2002-03 | 203,205 |
| 2003-04 | 205,965 |
| 2004-05 | 206,550 |
Sources: Higher Education StatisticsAgency (HESA) and Scottish Funding Council (SFC)
Note:
1. Numbers have been roundedto the nearest five to protect confidentiality.
2. Numbers include higher educationstudents studying in Scottish higher education institutions or Scottish furthereducation colleges.
The data above includes thosestudying at sub-degree, degree or postgraduate level in the given academic year.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to Consolidated Resource Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2005, what factors caused the Student Awards Agency for Scotland's underspend to be less than predicted on student fees, support through the Quigley agreement, resource aspects of student loans and other schemes.
Answer
The underspend was due to thenumber of students being less than originally anticipated, resulting in underspendson various SAAS schemes and also an underspend in the resource cost of student loans.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning’s statement on 14 September 2006 that “Since devolution alone, the number of Scots entering degree-level studies has increased by 12 per cent” (Official Report, c. 27507) took into account changes made in 2003-04 to the way in which Open University students are recorded.
Answer
The number of Scottish entrantsto degree-level study in Scottish institutions in 1999-2000 was 27,460. The numberin 2004-05 was 30,780, representing a 12 per cent increase. These figures were fromtable 13 of the Scottish Executive National Statistics publication
Students inHigher Education at Scottish Institutions 2004-05, which can be found at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/04/28100117/16.0For the purposes of this publicationthe Open University is not classed as a Scottish institution. Therefore, the changesmade in 2003-04 to the way in which Open University students are recorded wouldnot have affected the numbers that the Deputy Minister for Enterprise andLifelong Learning was referring to.
The above publication also containsinformation on the number of students at the Open University in Scotland in aseparate table, table 9, which can be found at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/04/28100117/12.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what sums it has paid to the purchasing banks in each year since 1998 in respect of the student loans sold by HM Treasury in 1998 and 1999 and what obligations were covered by these sums.
Answer
The information requested isgiven in the following table:
| . | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Total |
| (£000) Subsidy | (£000) Write Off’s | (£000) Loans Repurchased | (£000) First Loss Claims | (£000) First Loss Repayments | (£000) Adjustment |
| 1998-991 | 6,438 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 6,437 |
| 1999-2000 | 10,754 | 114 | 104 | 1 | 0 | 1,236 | 12,209 |
| 2000-01 | 12,471 | 52 | 83 | 1,596 | 0 | 638 | 14,840 |
| 2001-02 | 8,595 | 93 | 22 | 3,229 | -44 | -551 | 11,344 |
| 2002-03 | 8,610 | 95 | 25 | 2,349 | -108 | -326 | 10,645 |
| 2003-04 | 5,611 | 162 | 95 | 1,495 | -221 | -90 | 7,052 |
| 2004-05 | 5,075 | 193 | 41 | 1,134 | -217 | 999 | 7,225 |
| 2005-06 | 4,712 | 461 | 30 | 1,630 | -289 | 0 | 6,544 |
Note: 1 – Scottish Office Figures.
Column 1 – The subsidy is thepayment made to the purchasing banks to cover the difference between the commercialrate of interest the banks would normally charge and the rate of inflation theyare required to charge by the regulations.
Column 2 – Payments are madeto the purchasing banks for loans which are written off due to age or death.
Column 3 – Shows payments madefor loans which are “repurchased” and returned to the government portfolio for reasonsof permanent disability or being medically unfit for work.
Column 4 - First loss claims,reimburse the purchasing banks for loans which become 24 months or more in arrears,as these loans no longer attract the interest rate subsidy.
Column 5 - First loss repaymentsare deducted from the total Executive payment as loan repayments can still be receivedafter the first loss claim is put in place, i.e. after the bad debt is written off.
Column 6 - Adjustments can bemade to the figures in respect of year-end reconciliations between what has beenpaid by the DfES and the devolved administrations. Adjustments can also be madeto reflect accruals and differences in spend across financial years.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average indebtedness to the Student Loans Company is of all Scottish-domiciled borrowers who graduated or otherwise ceased to borrow in 2006.
Answer
It is not possible to providean answer as those who graduate in 2006 and those who cease to borrow in 2006 enterrepayment in April 2007, therefore the figures are unavailable at this time. However,the following table shows the figures for graduates and others who entered repaymentin April. 2006.
| | Product | Customer Count | Total Debt | Average Debt |
| All Borrowers | Income Contingent Loan | 38,797 | 228,541,774.65 | 5,890.71 |
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 6 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Healthlink service bus link between West Lothian and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh will be registered under the Executive’s concessionary travel scheme so that pensioners can travel free for appointments and to visit relatives in hospital.
Answer
Although the Healthlink servicebus link runs two daily trips between West Lothian and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh,passengers must pre-book before travelling or the service will not run. It is notan eligible service under the terms of the Scotland-wide free bus travel schemefor older and disabled people and we have no plans to include non-registered servicesin the scheme.
While concessionary cardholdersare therefore not entitled to free travel on the service, they are eligible fora reduced return fare, which is currently £2.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 28 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many electoral arrangement orders for the 2007 election have been disputed by local authorities.
Answer
Representations have beenreceived from 11 authorities following publication of the Local GovernmentBoundary Commission for Scotland’s report for their council area. These authoritieswere Angus, City of Edinburgh, Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar, Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Shetland Islands, West Dunbartonshire, and West Lothian.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 28 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive for which local authorities it has still to approve electoral arrangement orders submitted by the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland, also indicating the length of time since these orders were submitted.
Answer
The Local GovernmentBoundary Commission for Scotland submitted their report on the North LanarkshireCouncil Area on 22 August. This is still within the 6 week period during whichno decisions can be made. Information on other local authority areas for whichan Electoral Arrangements Order has yet to be made (information correct as of22 September) is detailed in the following table:
| Local Authority | Date Report Submitted by Commission |
| Aberdeen City | 1 August 2006 |
| City of Edinburgh | 17 July 2006 |
| Fife | 13 June 2006 |
| Glasgow City | 27 July 2006 |
| Highland | 27 July 2006 |
| Na h-Eileanan an Iar | 10 April 2006 |
| Renfrewshire | 7 August 2006 |
| Scottish Borders | 3 July 2006 |
| Shetland Islands | 10 April 2006 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 17 July 2006 |
| West Lothian | 6 June 2006 |
