Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20478.

I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-20464.

There are currently two Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) in Scotland, the Balmalcolm NVZ in Fife designated in 1996 and the Ythan NVZ designated in May 2000. However, the UK was been found to be in breach of the directive by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in December 2000. The UK had taken the view that this directive applied to surface freshwaters and groundwaters only where necessary to protect drinking water sources. In the course of proceedings culminating in the ECJ judgement, the UK admitted that this interpretation was wrong and that the directive applied to the protection of all freshwaters on the surface and underground. Work is currently in hand to identify any areas which need to be designated as new NVZs.

Most leisure courses delivered in colleges of further education are part-time. Fees for part-time courses can be waived, and the cost reclaimed by the college, where the course is one which is eligible for core funding from the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC) and where the student, irrespective of age, is in receipt of certain state benefits or is on a low income. A college may, though, at its own discretion waive the fees of any student on any course, regardless of whether the college is able to reclaim the cost from SFEFC. The charging policy on leisure courses offered by local authorities is entirely a matter for them.

The EC Nitrates Directive requires that all land draining to waters which are polluted by nitrates must be designated as Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs). An action programme of management measures, such as periods when certain fertilisers cannot be applied, must be followed by farmers in NVZs to limit pollution of surface and groundwaters by nitrates from agricultural sources.The first action programme in Scotland came into force in December 1998 in the Balmalcolm NVZ in Fife. A further NVZ was designated in May 2000 in the Ythan catchment. A proposed action programme for the Ythan NVZ, based on the recommendations from the Scottish Agricultural Pollution Group, was put out to consultation on 5 February 2001. A copy of the consultation document has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 17496).The proposed Ythan action programme represents a significant improvement of the first action programme. For example, it includes extensions to the periods when slurry manure must not be applied to sandy or shallow soils and requires a fertiliser and manure plan to be prepared and used each year. We have been in discussion with stakeholders about modifications to the detail of these proposals. I expect to make the regulations shortly to bring the action programme into force. Written guidance on how to comply with the action programme rules will be provided for all farmers including guidance on CD-ROM for those who wish it.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20147.

The Strategic Waste Fund was established in November 2000 for the implementation of the National Waste Strategy. There was no unallocated provision in 2000-01. Decisions on any unallocated provision in the current financial year will be made in due course.

The Priority Waste Stream projects are being taken forward by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) as part of the National Waste Strategy: Scotland (NWS). Additional grant-in-aid totalling some £16.5 million over the three-year period 2001-02 to 2003-04 was announced for SEPA as part of Spending Review 2000. This included additional funding for SEPA's work to implement the NWS. No ring-fenced funding has been allocated for the Priority Waste Stream Projects or any other specific initiative.

Draft guidance on applications to the Strategic Waste Fund will be issued to local authorities for comment in due course.

The Executive does not operate a specific programme which encourages the development of CFC recovery technology. The Executive has written to waste metal recyclers and industry to inform them of the forthcoming legislation and discussed the need for this technology with a number of industry representatives. In this way the Executive aims to ensure industry is aware of the new opportunities likely to arise from the legislation. It is up to industry to identify and take advantage of a business opportunity as a particular market presents itself in this way.