The cost to each studentwill vary depending upon the personal circumstances of the individual, wherethey are studying within the UK, and the level and length of their course. The Scottish Executive is, therefore, unable to provide an estimate of the average cost to aperson undertaking a course in further education. The graduate endowment doesnot apply to further education students.

The Executive is about tocommission a Scottish-based student income and expenditure survey. This surveywill provide comprehensive data on theincomes, expenditure and anticipated debt on graduation of a nationallyrepresentative sample of full-time and part-time undergraduate studentsstudying in Scotland and attending publicly funded higher education and furthereducation institutions during the academic year 2004-05.

The information requested isgiven on table number 6, page number 58 of the Student Loans Company annual report2001-02, published by the Student Loans Company in 2003, a copy of which isavailable in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 30921). The StudentLoans Company annual report 2002-03 will soon be published and copies will beplaced in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

In July, 1999, the Scottish Executive commissioned an independent committee of inquiry, headed by Mr Andrew Cubie,to conduct a comprehensive review of student finance, which in turncommissioned research to inform its report. Since then the Scottish Executive has not conducted research specifically on the effects of tuition feesand the graduate endowment scheme on attitudes towards study in further andhigher education. However, the Executive continues to make use of work conductedby academics and other researchers in the field of further and higher educationregarding student finance and possible barriers to participation. We alsomaintain close links with officials in DfES.

Any costs incurred by theStudent Loans Company (SLC) are met on a proportional basis by Her Majesty’sGovernment and the devolved administrations, based on the numbers of borrowerswho were domiciled in each country when they received their loan and value of thoseloans. Any additional development costs incurred by SLC as a result of policychanges by one administration are generally met by that administration.

While costs incurred by SLChave financial implications for student support budgets they do not have anydirect effect on students. Student loan borrowers only begin to repay theirloans when they have left full-time education and earn more than the specifiedincome threshold. The amount to be repaid is uprated by inflation to ensurethat it is the same, in real terms, as the amount borrowed.

The number of Scottishstudent loan borrowers who have been declared bankrupt in each calendar yearare detailed in the table.

Year	Number of Borrowers
1990	0
1991	0
1992	2
1993	3
1994	3
1995	6
1996	13
1997	31
1998	75
1999	142
2000	150
2001	194
2002	329
2003	429
Total	1,377

Source: Student Loans Company

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-6049 on 2 March 2004.All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

Information on the number ofdebtors subject to sequestrationproceedings who are undergraduates isnot held centrally.

Information on whether thebankruptcy proceedings in each case were the result of a petition by the debtoror one of his/her creditors is not held centrally.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-6052 on 2 March 2004for the numbers of Scottish student loan borrowers who have been declaredbankrupt. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18120 on 27 September 2001. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

The information requested isgiven on table number 2, page number 57 of the Student Loans Company annual report2001-02, published by the Student Loans Company in 2003, a copy of which isavailable in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 30921). The StudentLoans Company annual report 2002-03 will soon be published and copies will beplaced in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.