Chamber and committees

A number of statutory mechanisms are in place to protect peatlands in Scotland. Raised bog and blanket bog habitats are both protected under the EU Habitats Directive through the designation of sites as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). There are 27 proposed and candidate raised bog SACs in Scotland, and together these support some 68% of Scotland's "active" raised bog, and some 32% of the area of raised bog which has been assessed as degraded but capable of restoration. There are also 45 blanket bog candidate SACs covering a total area of over quarter of a million hectares.In addition, a further 42 raised bogs and around 100 sites with blanket bog interests are afforded domestic UK protection through designation as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Scotland.Bogs outwith the statutory nature conservation designation are subject to the safeguards provided through the planning system when being considered for new peat extraction applications. Those bogs which are subject to existing planning consent are protected through the on-going Review of Mineral Permissions (ROMPs) process.The UK Biodiversity Action Plan identifies both raised and blanket bog as priority habitats, and a number of initiatives are under way to achieve targets that have been set out in this plan. Both raised bog and blanket bog have specific habitat action plans developed to deal with issues affecting these sites.There is no commercial peat extraction from any of Scotland's national or internationally protected peatland sites.

My officials have been in contact with representatives of Superfirst Ferries about this issue. We are waiting for Superfirst Ferries to come back to us to fully discuss how they plan to operate the scheme.

I am issuing a consultation letter today which begins an open three-month consultation on the future arrangements for the area tourist board network. The letter will be sent to all interested parties inviting them to contribute to the review. It will also be posted on the Scottish Executive and VisitScotland websites.http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations/tourism/areatourist.pdf.

The Scottish Executive is continuing to implement a range of measures as part of its commitment to school science within A Science Strategy for Scotland and supporting delivery of the National Priorities for Education. During May, £3 million is being distributed to education authorities in support of these initiatives. The funding will enable teachers to undertake high quality professional updating in science and provide additional resources for science education. This is in addition to the £5 million already announced on 22 January of this year.

The Executive believes that complementary or alternative therapies may offer relief to some people suffering from a wide variety of conditions. There is no legislative bar to prevent practitioners of such therapies from offering their services, subject only to some general restrictions, such as those on prescribing and supplying medicines and giving injections. A GP or hospital clinician may refer a patient for alternative treatment, but would require to be satisfied of the value of the treatment and the competence of the practitioner, and would remain responsible for the patient's medical care. It is also open to NHS boards to provide complementary or alternative therapies.

The following works are being progressed on the A84/A85: The Traffic Regulation Order promoting a 30 mph speed limit on the A85 through Lochearnhead will be published shortly and providing there are no objections the new speed limit should come into force in early September 2002. The village gateway signing and countdown markers will be erected at the same time as the new speed limit.The Lochearnhead footway has been designed. Construction will commence once the necessary land has been acquired. Improvements to the A84/A85 junction at Lochearnhead are programmed for completion by October 2002. A scheme for the provision of street lighting at Lochearnhead has been prepared and will be implemented, subject to competing priorities and the availability of funding. Improvements to the street lighting in Callander are also being considered.Three minor improvement schemes in Glen Ogle are being prepared and will be implemented subject to competing priorities and the availability of funding.Verge safety fences are being upgraded both on the A84 and A85.Alterations to the pelican crossing in Callander are expected to be completed by the end of May 2002.Operation of the traffic lights in Callander is being monitored closely so the phasing of the lights can be adjusted to provide optimum performance.Carriageway warning signs will be erected at Glen Ogle by the end of May 2002.Strathyre village gateway signs are programmed to be completed before the start of the tourist season.

This year, Scottish ministers supported Tartan Week activities with a particular emphasis on promoting tourism to the US market, in a year that everyone recognises has been extremely difficult for the Scottish tourism industry. Tartan Week greatly increased Scotland's profile both in New York and Washington. Scotland, and its diverse images, enjoyed substantial and positive media coverage both here and in the United States.

Not for the first time, widespread publicity has been given to an erroneous story about our new building. No trees have been chosen or purchased. The tender documents for this landscaping have not yet even been issued and they do not include a requirement for Red Oak - a native of North America. European procurement rules require open competition, and the contract will be awarded on the basis of quality and cost for the whole package. Market advice suggests that the required trees should be available at a fraction of the suggested cost and that Scottish companies should be well placed to compete to supply them.Members should know that one of our press officers gave this correct information to a journalist from a Sunday title who obviously decided not to allow the facts to get in the way of a good story because that information was not included in the subsequent report. Unfortunately, three other newspapers on Monday repeated the story.

The Scottish Executive is now very close to completing its submission of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) in advance of further formal consideration by the European Commission scheduled for June 2002. Ninety-eight per cent of the total of 227 SACs on which consultation has already taken place have been proposed to the Commission as candidate sites. This is a major contribution to the EU Natura 2000 network. I shall be considering, with Scottish Natural Heritage's (SNH) advice, four remaining sites and one extension to an existing SAC, all of which have already been announced as candidate sites. These are: River DeeRiver TayFirth of Tay and Eden EstuaryAirds MossSunart extensionSome of the river sites do not currently include all qualifying tributaries but will be extended in future.I have also agreed that five new sites (four raised bog and one blanket bog) should be considered for designation. Coverage of these habitats was not considered adequate by the European Commission in its first consideration of the UK's list. The sites are: Red Moss of NetherlyRaeburn FlowPeeswit MossOfference Moss, which is an extension to Flanders MossWest Fannyside Moss blanket bogThe sole remaining site on the published list of SACs is the Sound of Barra. After careful consideration, and following scientific advice from SNH, I have decided to delay a decision on this site until further data are available on the effect of construction of the Eriskay causeway on the numbers and location of seal populations. Good progress has also been made on Special Protection Areas. One hundred and thirty-five out of 141 SPA sites in Scotland have now been classified. To complete the series, I have asked SNH to begin formal consultation on proposed golden eagle sites on Skye and Mull already announced. Consultations are in progress or complete on three other sites and one extension and decisions will be made on these sites once all necessary information is available. The remaining sites from the previously published list, and on which I expect to take decisions this year are:Arran MoorsCnuic Agus Cladach Mhuile (the Mull eagle site)Cuillins (the Skye eagle site)Glen App - Galloway MoorsMuirkirk and North Lowther Uplands Forth Islands (extension)I expect also to consider a small number of further sites for the capercaillie, for which a significant population decline is causing concern.The remaining site on the public list of proposed SPAs is Ladder Hills. SNH have advised that currently available data are insufficient to justify classification at present and further survey work will be required. I propose therefore to delay consideration of this site until the necessary information is available. This contribution to the Natura network represents a notable effort on the part of SNH to present the scientific data and to ensure that as full consultation as possible has taken place with local interests.SNH will now be closely involved in management of the sites and I expect their Natural Care programme to be of particular benefit to owners and occupiers in assisting them to bring their land into positive management. The Executive increased SNH's budget in the last Spending Review (by £22 million in total over the three years) partly to enable management schemes to be more widely offered. Looking further ahead, for the terrestrial sites I expect the focus to be on appropriate management. I cannot, however, rule out additional SPAs or SACs, where suitable sites are identified which properly reflect Scotland's contribution to the Natura network. At UK level a framework has been put in place for review of the SPA series, and we shall continue to contribute to this consideration. In addition, we shall be required, along with the rest of the UK to contribute to the selection of SPAs and SACs in the marine environment. This process is on-going at present, led by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

We indicated in December last year that we would bring forward proposals for taking forward the principles of Kerley before the Easter Recess. We have today published Renewing Local Democracy: the Next Steps which fulfils that commitment. The document includes consideration of issues such as future governance, councillors' remuneration and options for electoral reform. I am placing copies of the document in the Parliament's Reference centre (Bib. number 20270).There will now be a four-month consultation period on the options set out in the document and we would welcome comments from all those with an interest in the future of local government. Shortly after Parliament reconvenes in September 2002 the Executive will set out the next steps in relation to legislation and the future governance of councils.