- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 01 July 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 26 July 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been declared bankrupt in each year since 1990 and, of these, how many in each year were student loan borrowers.
Answer
The Accountant in Bankruptcymaintains the Register of Insolvencies in Scotland. Details of bankruptcies are compiled by financial year.The following table gives the number of bankruptcies for the financial years 1990-91to 2004-05. Statistics on how many debtors were student loan borrowers is not heldon the register.
| Financial Year | Number of Bankruptcies in Scotland | Financial Year | Number of Bankruptcies in Scotland |
| 1990-91 | 2,618 | 1998-99 | 3,110 |
| 1991-92 | 5,451 | 1999-2000 | 3,185 |
| 1992-93 | 8,584 | 2000-01 | 2,938 |
| 1993-94 | 11,970 | 2001-02 | 3,193 |
| 1994-95 | 3,941 | 2002-03 | 3,228 |
| 1995-96 | 2,379 | 2003-04 | 3,309 |
| 1996-97 | 2,534 | 2004-05 | 3,521 |
| 1997-98 | 2,701 | | |
The Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department have provided the information below on student loan borrowerswho have gone bankrupt. The results are based on analysis of data run from CLASS,the student loan company computer processing system for managing student loan accountson 28 June 2005. The information is collated by calendar year.
| Year | Number of Student Loan Borrowers who went Bankrupt | Year | Number of Student Loan Borrowers who Went Bankrupt |
| 1990 | 0 | 1998 | 82 |
| 1991 | 2 | 1999 | 132 |
| 1992 | 8 | 2000 | 157 |
| 1993 | 13 | 2001 | 182 |
| 1994 | 9 | 2002 | 281 |
| 1995 | 15 | 2003 | 432 |
| 1996 | 33 | 2004 | 289 |
| 1997 | 49 | | |
Further general information onbankruptcies is available in the Accountant in Bankruptcy’s Annual Report whichis available at www.aib.gov.uk.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 24 June 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 20 July 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussion it has had with Her Majestys Government in order to ensure that no parent or child will bear any hardship as a result of overpayment of child tax credits in Scotland.
Answer
Tax and benefits are a reserved matter. However, the Scottish Executive is in regular discussions with Her Majestys Government on a variety of matters including tax credits.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 24 June 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 20 July 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majestys Government regarding the overpayment of child tax credit to families in Scotland.
Answer
Tax and benefits are a reserved matter. However, the Scottish Executive is in regular discussions with Her Majestys Government on a variety of matters including tax credits.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 24 June 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 20 July 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majestys Government to establish how many student parents in Scotland have received any overpayment of child tax credits.
Answer
Tax and benefits are a reserved matter. However, the Scottish Executive is in regular discussions with Her Majestys Government on a variety of matters including tax credits.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 24 June 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 20 July 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majestys Government to establish whether any student parents in Scotland have received any overpayment of child tax credits.
Answer
Tax and benefits are a reserved matter. However, the Scottish Executive is in regular discussions with Her Majestys Government on a variety of matters including tax credits.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 24 June 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 20 July 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to ensure that children entitled to free school meals and who switched from income support to child tax credit do not lose their entitlement to free school meals as a result of overpayment of child tax credits.
Answer
The Executive is aware of the potential difficulties around child tax credit and free school meal entitlement as a result of an overpayment, and is currently considering how best to address these difficulties, in partnership with local authorities and other agencies, in order to ensure children who are entitled to free school meals receive them.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 17 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average length of time is for a graduate to repay their student loan.
Answer
For a 2005 graduate commencing repayment in 2006 the forecast average length of time to repay their student loan is approximately 13 years.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 23 May 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 16 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the equivalent Scottish figures to the figures which are published in the Annual Report of the Student Loans Company Ltd.
Answer
The figures which are publishedin the Student Loans Company Ltd Annual Report are not disaggregated for Scotland andthere are no plans to do so.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has carried out of the effects on the economy of a reduction in average disposable income.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has not carried out any specific research on the effects on the economyof a reduction in average disposable income. The median weekly household income(allowing for housing costs) in Scotland has actually been rising in real terms – from £237 in1996-97 to £306 in 2003-04.
However, we do calculate andmonitor a wide variety of economic indicators, including gross value added and grossdisposable household income, which are used to monitor the past and current performanceof the economy in Scotland. Further details are available at the following site:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/15572/8900.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 May 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has paid in subsidies for student loans sold in 1998 and 1999 in each year since 1998.
Answer
Debt Sale subsidy payments to 2003-04 in respect of student loans total £62,527,000. This is broken down on a year by year basis as follows:
| Year | Amount (£k) |
| 1998-99 | 6,437 |
| 1999-2000 | 12,209 |
| 2000-01 | 14,840 |
| 2001-02 | 11,344 |
| 2002-03 | 10,645 |
| 2003-04 | 7,052 |
