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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-32970

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 29 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many students at a further education institute had their course funded by the Scottish Government in each of the last 10 years, broken down by students from (a) Scotland or (b) elsewhere in the European Union.

Question reference: S3W-32972

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 29 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how much higher education colleges have been awarded by the Scottish Funding Council or its predecessor body in each of the last 10 years.

Question reference: S3W-32971

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 29 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how much further education colleges have been awarded by the Scottish Funding Council or its predecessor body in each of the last 10 years.

Question reference: S3W-33200

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 28 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to mark the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn in 2014.

Scottish ministers have recognised the need for improvements to the facilities at Bannockburn to bring them up to a standard that reflects the historic importance of the site. Historic Scotland is working with the National Trust for Scotland, which owns and manages the site, to re-present the site in time for the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn in June 2014.

Historic Scotland will be arranging a programme of events to mark the anniversary but it is too early to confirm their nature at this stage. Likewise, National Archives of Scotland will mark this important anniversary but it is too early to confirm their commemorative plans.

Question reference: S3W-32969

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 26 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many students at a higher education institute had their course funded by the Scottish Government in each of the last 10 years, broken down by students from (a) Scotland or (b) elsewhere in the European Union.

The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) provides tuition fees for eligible full-time Scottish and EU domiciled higher education students studying in Scotland. Table 1 shows the number of students in each of the past ten academic years who attended a Scottish higher education institution (HEI) and who had their tuition fees paid by SAAS.

Table 1: Full-time Scottish and EU Domiciled Higher Education Students Attending Scottish HEIs and Receiving Tuition Fee Support from SAAS “ Academic Years 1999-2000 to 2008-09

Academic Year	Number of Students
Academic Year	Scots Domiciles	EU Domiciles	Total
1999-2000	63,260	3,040	66,300
2000-01	77,515	3,770	81,290
2001-02	78,840	3,950	82,795
2002-03	79,195	4,285	83,475
2003-04	79,760	4,720	84,475
2004-05	79,355	5,555	84,910
2005-06	79,595	6,005	85,600
2006-07	80,575	6,925	87,495
2007-08	80,580	8,115	88,690
2008-09	82,590	9,005	91,590

Source: Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).

Notes:

1. Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest 5: i.e. 1, 2 round to 0, 3, 4 round to 5.

2. Totals may not equal the sum of their constituent parts due to rounding.

SAAS also pays tuition fees for full-time students studying higher education level courses in colleges. In academic year 2008-09 they paid tuition fees for 22,970 Scottish and EU domiciled higher education students in Scottish colleges.

Some part-time higher education students who are on low incomes or certain benefits can have their tuition fees waived as part of the Scottish Funding Council''s Fee Waiver scheme. Table 2 shows the number of such students at Scottish HEIs in academic years 2001-02 to 2008-09. Academic year 2001-02 is the earliest for which this data is available.

Table 2: Part-time Higher Education Students at Scottish HEIs in Receipt of a Part-Time Fee Waiver “ Academic Years 2001-02 to 2008-09

Academic Year	Number of Students
2001-02	3,820
2002-03	4,105
2003-04	4,530
2004-05	4,565
2005-06	4,695
2006-07	4,820
2007-08	4,880
2008-09	5,845

Source: The Scottish Funding Council.

Notes:

1. Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest 5: i.e. 1, 2 round to 0; 3, 4 round to 5.

2. The Part-Time Fee Waiver is available to eligible Scottish and EU domiciled students. It has not been possible to provide a breakdown by domicile.

The ILA (Individual Learning Account) 500 scheme, which provides a tuition fee grant of up to £500 for eligible part-time higher education students, was introduced at the start of academic year 2008-09. A total of 2,275 part-time higher education students received an ILA 500 in 2008-09. This figure includes students at both higher education institutions and colleges. ILA 500 is available to both Scottish and EU domiciled students.

Question reference: S3W-32554

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 16 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, given that, according to the proposed east coast timetable for 2011, Arriva CrossCountry will take over the operation of Glasgow to London services, whether it will make representations to Arriva regarding the lack of wi-fi provision on these services and the potential diminution in service quality.

The Arriva Cross Country services from Glasgow will not extend to London Kings Cross, but will continue to serve destinations in the North of England, including Newcastle, Durham, Darlington and York, as well as providing an increased range of direct services to Leeds and Sheffield.

These services will be provided under a franchise controlled by the Department for Transport (DfT). While Scottish ministers can provide non-binding advice to DfT on issues relating to cross-border rail provision, the specification of service levels on Arriva Cross Country services is a matter for DfT.

Scottish ministers do not expect a diminution of service quality on cross border passenger services to be provided under the new timetabling arrangements.

Question reference: S3W-32552

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the fairness of the care home costs system for people who self-fund.

Question reference: S3W-32551

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to support people who self-fund their care home costs in cases where there is a disparity between their fees and those paid by local authority-funded individuals receiving the same level of care.

The amount self funders pay for their care home costs is a matter between the individual and the care home provider. It is not appropriate for the Scottish Government to intervene in the contractual arrangements between self funding residents and independent care providers.

Care home rates for publicly funded residents are negotiated on an annual basis between the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and representatives of the independent care home sector as part of the National Care Home Contract. The Scottish Government is not involved in these negotiations. Current fee levels are based on a detailed study that was undertaken in 2004 to establish the cost of residential care and have been up-rated annually since then.

Question reference: S3W-32553

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will encourage care home providers to liaise with local authorities that will act as agents for people who self-fund their care home costs.

Question reference: S3W-32196

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure compliance with the Horse Identification (Scotland) Regulations 2009.

Local authorities have responsibility for enforcing the Horse Identification (Scotland) Regulations 2009 which were brought in to comply with European Commission Decision 504/208. Local authorities deal with breaches on a reactive basis. If information regarding a possible breach of the legislation is received it will be investigated in accordance with the local authorities enforcement policy.

Breach of the Regulations is an offence punishable on summary conviction by a fine up to the statutory maximum or three months imprisonment, or both. On indictment the penalty is an unlimited fine or two years imprisonment, or both.