The commission has been asked to provide an interim report in the autumn, followed by a final report in spring 2016.

In December 2014 the Scottish Government published Developing the Young Workforce: Scotland's Youth Employment Strategy - Implementing the Recommendations of the Commission for Developing Scotland's Young Workforce. You can view the document via the following link: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0046/00466386.pdf . Section 5: Equality on page 29 details steps the Scottish Government is taking to tackle inequality for our young people. 

With specific regard to the Modern Apprenticeship (MA) programme, our national skills body, Skills Development Scotland (SDS), published their Equality and Diversity Mainstreaming Report 2015-17 in April 2015. The report can be accessed via the following link:http://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/1344738/equality_and_diversity_mainstreaming_report.pdf. Section 5.2 (pages 20 - 28) updates SDS' 2013-15 action plan; details future actions; and notes performance measures towards improved participation in the MA programme by those from black and minority ethnic communities and disabled people and improved gender balance in occupational participation across MA frameworks.

As all apprentices in Scotland must be employed and recruitment is, rightly, a matter for employers, we do not have figures that tell us how many disabled people have applied for a modern apprenticeship (MA) opportunity.

Our national skills body, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) publish management information about the delivery of the MA programme on their website on a quarterly basis. SDS' Quarter 4 (end-year) report includes details of how many apprentices self-reported a disability.

You can view SDS' 2013-14 MA year-end information via the following link: http://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/1155134/modern_apprenticeships__main_publication__quarter_4__2013-14.pdf Information about apprentices who reported a disability since 2009/10 can be found at 9.2 on page 19.

Based on independent contemporary research, the variable element of the road equivalent tariff (RET) car formula, the rate per mile, was updated in 2012 to £0.80 per mile to reflect the higher costs of motoring. A comparable increase was made to the variable element of the RET formula for foot passengers, which was updated to £0.13 per mile. The comparable figures for 2008 were £0.60 per mile and £0.10 per mile respectively. The fixed elements of the RET formula, for both cars and foot passengers, £5.00 and £2.00 respectively, did not change between 2008 and 2012.

Details of the payment regions were announced to Parliament on the 11 June 2014. Since then, in October 2014, we wrote to each individual farmer with details of the provisional allocation of their agricultural land into the three new payment regions. Farmers were given the opportunity to request a review of the provisional allocation and we are currently working through those review requests.

payment regions and payment rates can only be finalised once the 2015 single application Form forms have been submitted and validated and we know how much land has been declared and claimed in each region.

We have regular discussions with NFUS on a number of issues including the CAP.

As per the answer to question S4W-25316 on 7 May 2015, farmers have already received details of the provisional allocations of their agricultural land into the three payment regions, however, this information is not necessary for the completion of the single application form (SAF). Farmers should complete their SAFs without delay ensuring that they only declare eligible land and eligible activity for the area they are seeking payments. Once this information is validated final allocation of payment regions can be made. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Scottish Government has no plans to participate in any future sale of student loan debt.

Professor Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of Glasgow

Liz McIntyre, Principal, Borders College

Ali Jarvis, Chair of SFC’s Access & Inclusion Committee

Maureen McKenna, Executive Director of Education, Glasgow City Council

Gerry Lyons, Headteacher, St Andrew’s Secondary School, Glasgow

Jean Carwood-Edwards, Chief Executive, Early Years Scotland

Helen Martin, Assistant Secretary, Scottish Trades Union Congress

Russell Gunson, Director, NUS Scotland

Vonnie Sandlan, Women’s Officer & President elect, NUS Scotland

Professor Petra Wend, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Queen Margaret University

Caroline Stuart, Oracle Ltd

One further member, to bring a UK perspective, will be announced shortly.

The commission is in the process of finalising its remit but our expectation is that it will consider: barriers to access; measurement and targets; and the identification and upscaling of existing good practice.

The 2015-16 funding guide, which includes details of student support rates, became available on the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) website on 2 April 2015. The SAAS events team has distributed the guide at events since 26 March 2015.

The Scottish Government is committed to free tuition and providing financial support for students’ living costs. Ministers will always take the opportunity (including in-year) to further improve student support when that is affordable.