Chamber and committees

The Scottish Executive is aware of advice from the Capercaillie Biodiversity Action Plan Steering Group, recommending release of captive-bred capercaillie, on condition that the trial site is south of the central belt. I understand that the purpose of this trial would be to assess the feasibility of a release project and to perfect methodologies and techniques. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, any trial could only go ahead on the basis of a licence approved by Scottish Natural Heritage.

No funding is planned for captive breeding programmes as part of the LIFE Project.

The Scottish Executive is committed to safeguarding the capercaillie population in Scotland and a wide range of measures have already been applied to tackle the decline in capercaillie numbers. These include the implementation of actions set out in the Biodiversity Species Action Plan for Capercaillie. With funding from the Scottish Executive the Forestry Commission spent £700,000 from September 2001 to March 2002 on the removal and marking of deer fences in Scotland.The recent award of almost £2.5 million from the EU LIFE-Nature Fund supports a five year project directed at capercaillie conservation. An equal sum will be secured from a number of public and non public bodies including the Scottish Executive.

Yes. The Scottish Executive has taken steps to ensure that a supply of stable iodine tablets adequate to satisfy potential needs following a nuclear accident or incident is in place. Potential needs arise only when the release contains radioactive iodine. Determination of adequacy has included assessment of the possible scale and spread of radioactive iodine emanating from such an accident or incident.

Over the past 11 months there has been a thorough re-assessment of our preparedness to deal with nuclear incidents. Our preparedness for such incidents is tested during our participation in the programmes of exercises undertaken by the Ministry of Defence and by civil nuclear establishments. In addition the Radiation Emergency Preparedness and Public Information Regulations 2001(REPPIR) came into force last year. These regulations implement the EURATOM Basic Safety Standards Directive (96/29) and replace the Public Information for Radiation Emergencies Regulations (PIRER) 1992.

The membership of the HAI Surveillance Steering Group, as co-ordinated by the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health (SCIEH) is as follows:

Dr David Old	Dr Ahilya Noone
Chairman	Consultant Epidemiologist, SCIEH
Dr Ian Auchterlonie	Dr Rosie Hague
Consultant Paediatrician	Consultant in Infectious Diseases
Dr Frank Bone	Dr Anne Eastaway
Consultant Microbiologist	Consultant Microbiologist
Dr Dilip Nathwani	Professor David Rowley
Infection & Immodeficiency Unit	Prof. of Trauma & Orthopaedics
Dr Jim Millar	Dr J D Browning
Consultant in Public Health	(Medical Directors)
Mr Andrew McMahan	Dr Peter Wallace
Consultant in Colorectal Surgeon	Consultant Intensive Care & Anaesthesia
Mr Richard Carey	Mr Alex Cumming
Chief Executive, Highlands	Chief Executive, Grampian
Dr Andrew Riley	Dr Marion Bain / Mr Graeme Mitchell
Director of Public Health, Borders	ISD (Information & Statistics Division)
Mr John MacKenzie	Dr Rosalind Skinner
Scottish Association	Principal Medical Officer
Health Councils	Scottish Executive
Ms Jackie Stewart	Mrs Mary Henry
Infection Control Nurse	Consultant Nurse Epidemiologist
Dr Stephanie Dancer
Consultant Medical Microbiologist
SCIEH

The remit of the group is "to oversee and advise on the implementation of a national system of surveillance of HAI in Scotland and to monitor and report on progress."

No. The use of snares to control pest species of wild animal such as foxes and rabbits is legally permitted subject to certain conditions relating to their use. Snares set must be of an approved type and must, by law, be checked at least once a day.

No. The use of snares to target pest species such as foxes and rabbits is a matter for individual landowners or their agents.

No. Guidance has been prepared by the Capercaillie Biodiversity Action Plan Steering Group, which aims to reduce the accidental snaring of capercaillie.

Orders have been laid to implement the right to buy provisions contained in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001. These should bring about the agreed changes to the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 with effect from 30 September 2002. Details of the changes being introduced are contained in SEDD Circular 5/2002, entitled Housing (Scotland) Act 2001: The Modernised Right to Buy, which was issued recently and copies of which have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.In addition, following a consultation exercise earlier this year, we are proposing a new cost floor determination to commence at the same time as these right to buy measures are introduced. This determination will make relatively minor changes to the cost floor rules, primarily allowing for all "initial works" conducted by a social rented landlord following acquisition to count towards the cost floor and to ensure that where costs could be covered by a landlord's insurance policy, they are not also added to the cost floor.