- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 12 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what extra funding will be provided for any increase in the use of community sentence orders over the next three years, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The report of the review of community penalties published last November set out a plan of action, which is designed to lead to greater and improved use of community sentences. Work is in progress to take forward the report. The following additional sums have been set aside to implement the report''s recommendations:
| 2008-09 | £2.0 million |
| 2009-10 | £3.5 million |
| 2010-11 | £3.5 million |
The majority of the £2 million available this financial year is reflected in the current 2008-09 financial allocations for community justice authorities. The latter will be informed of financial allocations for subsequent years at the appropriate stage. Community justice authorities are responsible for disbursement of available funding to the constituent local authorities within their areas.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 8 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of research recently commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to determine the extent of use and humaneness of snares in England and Wales and whether it will ensure that such research is replicated for Scotland.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-12074 on 1 May 2008. 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/wa.search.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 8 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has commissioned or will commission any independent research into the welfare impacts of snaring, as recommended in 2005 in the Report of the Independent Working Group on Snares.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-12074 on 1 May 2008. 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/wa.search.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 6 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average earned income is of a student per financial year.
Answer
The latest data on average earned term time income of full-time students relates to the academic year 2004-05. The amounts were £1,693 for higher education students and £948 for further education students. The calculation includes students who do not work.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 6 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students work in paid employment.
Answer
The official source of information on the number of people in employment is the labour force survey (LFS). The LFS also collects information on whether people are currently studying. The latest available data from the LFS, relating to the period October to December 2007, estimates that 110,000 full-time students, including school pupils, were in paid employment in this period.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 6 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students earned over £5,225 in the 2007-08 financial year.
Answer
The exact number of students who earn over £5,225 in the financial year 2007-08 is not held centrally.
However information from the 2004-05 students'' income, expenditure and debt survey, http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Lifelong-learning/SIES, shows that the average Scottish full-time student earned £1,693 during term time and only 25% earned amounts greater than £2,848. Full-time further education students earned less, £948 on average, with 25% earning amounts greater than £1,085.
In combination these figures support the conclusion that the vast majority of students earn less than £5,225.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 2 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how council tax is calculated for full-time students.
Answer
Information on how council tax is calculated for full time students is contained in the leaflet
Council Tax in Scotland “ A Guide for Students, Student Nurses, Apprentices, Skillseekers and School Leavers, available at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/localgov/ctst-00.asp.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 1 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place, and with whom, on the effect of the proposed local income tax on employers of students.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-12116 on 1 May 2008. 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/wa.search.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 1 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings have taken place with external groups to discuss the effect of the proposed local income tax on students and who attended.
Answer
During the consultation period, which runs until 18 July 2008, my officials are attending a number of meetings with a range of stakeholders. Details of these meetings will be made available as part of the analysis of the consultation, which will be published in the autumn.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 1 May 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether consideration has been given to exempting students from the proposed local income tax.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not propose that their should be any exemptions under a local income tax as individual liability is based on ability to pay. However, the issue of exemptions will be considered as part of the current consultation exercise which closes on 18 July 2008.
