Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2023 to Question 148721 on Students: Fuels, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of rises in the cost-of-living on students in Scotland.

The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures, which can also impact students.

In this financial year, the government has provided households with support on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount. At Spring Budget, the government announced the Energy Price Guarantee would be maintained at £2,500 for the next three months from April, saving households an additional £160, bringing total government support for energy bills to £1,500 for a typical household since October 2022.

The Scottish Government is well-funded to deliver all its devolved responsibilities, receiving around 25% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in other parts of the UK.

It is for the Scottish Government to allocate its funding in devolved areas as it sees fit, including support for Scottish students, and it is accountable to the Scottish Parliament for these decisions.