Chamber and committees

The sale, supply and safety of fireworks are consumer protection matters and as such are reserved. The Department of Trade and Industry runs annual firework safety campaigns and issues firework safety packs to trading standards departments, environmental health departments, fire brigades and police forces. Fire brigades undertake local work in schools and the wider community and the Scottish Executive supplements this by funding regular publicity on fire safety.

Controls over the burning of waste in industrial processes, including the production of cement, is the responsibility of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). There is one cement kiln in Scotland, operated by Blue Circle near Dunbar. In law, the expression used to describe hazardous waste is "special waste". Blue Circle's plant uses recycled liquid fuel which is treated by SEPA as special waste. The Special Waste Regulations 1996 require SEPA to impose strict standards and controls.

An analysis of responses to the Scottish Executive’s consultation document on skin piercing is being published today and is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre and on the Executive’s websites.

We have set a target that all our young people leaving local authority care will have achieved at least English and Maths Standard Grades. We are measuring attainment against this and gathering information about how local authorities are addressing the Learning with Care report's recommendations. We expect to receive this information by 31 October 2001. This will help us plan a package of measures aimed at improving educational provision for looked after children.

The Scottish Executive has no plans to introduce such schemes in Scotland.

It is for roads authorities to decide how roadside cleaning should be carried out, taking into account a number of factors such as traffic management and the health and safety of those carrying out the work. The overriding imperative is to ensure that when roadside cleaning, verge maintenance, etc, is carried out neither road users nor those undertaking the activity are placed at any risk or danger. For that reason the Executive does not believe the "adopt-a-road" model is suitable for Scotland.

The Scottish Executive recognises the seriousness of the impact of endocrine disrupters and dioxins on human health. The risk of direct exposure through air, water and soil is very limited, and the majority of human exposures to dioxins arise through the consumption of food. Measures are therefore in place to limit the amount of dioxins reaching the food chain.

Pollution control legislation, including the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Municipal Waste Incinerators Directives, which came into force in the UK in December 1996 has greatly reduced emissions of dioxins and other endocrine disrupting chemicals in the UK. The provisions of the new Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000 will continue this trend.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) include conditions within Consents to Discharge under the Control of Pollution Act 1974 that limit discharges of certain endocrine disrupting compounds into the aquatic environment.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) oversees the implementation of guidelines on tolerable intakes of dioxins for the UK. The FSA has a programme of research and surveillance, including endocrine disrupters, that seeks to ensure that consumers are protected, and has represented the UK in European discussions on European Commission proposals to introduce stricter community-wide limits on dioxin concentrations in foodstuffs and animal feed. The agency is also seeking the advice of the Committee on Toxicology (COT) on the safety of dioxins in foodstuffs, and will use this advice in the further development of policy.Scottish drinking water comes from upland or groundwater free from sources of endocrine disrupting chemicals or dioxins. Safeguards against subsequent contamination of drinking water by materials used in the treatment or distribution of water are included in the Water Supply (Water Quality) (Scotland) Regulations 1990. These require that all relevant chemicals or materials are approved by the Scottish ministers on the recommendation of the (UK) Committee on Products and Processes for use in Public Water Supply.

Making it work together - A programme for government, published in September 1999, stated that we would establish the framework for a national transport timetable system by end 1999, and implement it by end 2000. Traveline (Scotland) became operational on 3 January 2001. This national public transport information system provides route and timetable information for bus, coach, underground, train, ferry and Scottish internal air services through a single national-rate call.Transport operators and local authorities have worked in partnership to deliver Traveline (Scotland), with the support of the Scottish Executive. Traveline will form part of the GB Transport Direct initiative, to which we are committed. Transport Direct will be a phone and internet system to allow people to plan their journeys, to compare routes and prices and to purchase tickets.

Ash from incinerators is defined as controlled waste and therefore subject to Part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. As a result, the storage, treatment, disposal and transportation of both bottom ash and fly ash are strictly controlled to ensure that they do not cause a risk to the environment or human health. In addition, fly ash is classified as special waste under the Special Waste Regulations 1996. The disposal of special waste is carried out under strict conditions under the waste management regime which requires the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to be notified using consignment notes prior to all movements of the waste.

The Executive has no plans to investigate whether ash from incinerators has been used in building or construction materials in Scotland.