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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-33351

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 12 May 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to make a decision on the proposed Logiealmond wind farm development.

Question reference: S3O-10359

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 May 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 5 May 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the recent HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) report on Perth Prison.

Question reference: S3W-32832

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 29 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Scottish and Southern Energy regarding undergrounding sections of the Beauly to Denny power line upgrade in the Stirling area.

Scottish Power Transmission Ltd (SPT) have responsibility for constructing the overhead line upgrade in the Stirling area.

Discussions have been held between Scottish Government officials, SPT and Stirling Council regarding the Stirling Visual Impact Mitigation Scheme. No proposals have been submitted. Undergrounding part or parts of the new line remains one of the options open to the developer in seeking to mitigate the visual impact of the line in the Stirling area. This is also the case in respect of the Glenside Mitigation Scheme.

Question reference: S3W-32833

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 29 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Scottish and Southern Energy regarding undergrounding sections of the Beauly to Denny power line upgrade in Perthshire.

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-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-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.