To ask the Scottish Executive how many people (a) applied for and (b) received a Lone Parent’s Grant in each of the last three years.

Information on the number of students who applied for Lone Parent’s Grant and Lone Parent’s Childcare Grant is not held centrally.

The following table shows the number of higher education students who received Lone Parent’s Grant and the number receiving Lone Parent’s Childcare Grant from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) in academic years 2005-06 to 2007-08. These figures are published, for academic years 2002-03 to 2007-08, in Higher Education Student Support in Scotland 2007-08:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/11/21111027/0.

Notes:

Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).

Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest five (e.g. one, two round down to zero, three, four round up to five).

Lone Parent’s Grant is available on an income assessed basis to students who are single, widowed, divorced or no longer living with a partner and are bringing up children. An additional grant, Lone Parent’s Childcare Grant, is available to recipients of Lone Parent’s Grant who have to pay for registered or formal child care.