Chamber and committees

NHS boards are responsible for ensuring that patients residing in their area have access to clinically appropriate treatment, including new drug treatments such as the atypical antipsychotic drugs.On 25 July 2002, the Health Technology Board for Scotland (HTBS) issued a comment on the NICE Guidance on the use of atypical antipsychotics for schizophrenia. The guidance recommends that the newer (atypical) antipsychotics should be considered alongside the older, existing medicines as one of the options of first choice to treat people with newly diagnosed schizophrenia. NHSScotland is expected to take account of advice and evidence from the HTBS and ensure that recommended drugs or treatments are made available to meet clinical need.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32511 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

All diesel engines emit particulates (PM₁₀), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compounds. These pollutants can affect human health and contribute to the formation of ground level ozone. In 2000 it was estimated that, for the UK, diesel engined off-road vehicles and machinery >50kW used in construction, mining and quarrying accounted for only 0.88% of NOx emissions, 0.71% of PM₁₀ emissions and 0.1% of CO emissions. In specific areas with mining, quarrying and construction activity the contribution of these sources to local air quality will be higher. Local authorities are required to carry out regular reviews and assessments of air quality within their areas, and where an air quality objective is unlikely to be met by the relevant attainment date, to declare an Air Quality Management Area. All Scottish local authorities in Scotland have completed the first stage of the review and assessment process and no authority has indicated any possible exceedence of the air quality objectives in areas with mining, quarrying or construction activity. A further review and assessment exercise will begin in early 2003.

The Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales sets objectives directed at outdoor concentrations of priority air pollutants. Following advice from the Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards, standards and objectives for eight air pollutant have been established. Outdoor concentrations of formaldehyde in the UK are generally very low and in keeping with the World Health Organisation guideline value (0.08 ppm). This pollutant is therefore not included in the Air Quality Strategy.Formaldehyde belongs to a group of pollutants known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), for which the National Emission Ceilings Directive (Council Directive 2001/81/EC) sets emission ceilings for each member state to be achieved by 2010.

The current air quality objectives for PM10 are:a 24-hour mean of 50mg/m³ not to be exceeded more than 35 times a year, andan annual mean of 40mg/m³.Both objectives are to be achieved by 31 December 2004.The information requested on exceedences is given in the following table for the 24-hour mean objective for the five national monitoring network sites in Scotland.

	2000	2001	20021
Aberdeen	3	2	2
Edinburgh Centre	5	11	15
Glasgow Centre	27	13	3
Glasgow Kerbside	23	36	26
Grangemouth2	-	4	4

Notes:1. Data for 2002 are provisional and still subject to confirmation.2. 2001 is the first year for which Grangemouth data are available.No action was taken with regard to the 2001 exceedences at Glasgow Kerbside because the 24-hour objective does not apply to kerbside sites. These sites are intended to represent a worst case scenario. Most monitoring sites are set back from the kerb and are a more accurate indicator of typical public exposure. In any case, it is predicted that the objective will be met at Glasgow Kerbside by the required date.No exceedences of the annual objective have been recorded in the last three years.

All local authorities in Scotland have a duty under the Environment Act 1995 to review and assess air quality in their areas against the air quality objectives, including those for particulate matter 10, contained in the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. If this exercise shows that any of the objectives is unlikely to be met by the required dates, the authority must take steps to work towards the objectives concerned by declaring an Air Quality Management Area and drawing up an air quality action plan.SEPA has responsibility for ensuring compliance with any particulate emissions arising as a result of any prescribed process or activity under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000. In addition, under the 1995 act SEPA, acting with the approval of Scottish ministers, may issue directions to a local authority if it appears that the authority is failing to discharge any duty imposed on it by the 1995 act in relation to air quality.

The pollutants covered by existing air quality legislation are outlined in the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A review of the strategy, taking into account the latest technical and health-based evidence, was completed earlier this year. This resulted in the introduction of tighter objectives for benzene, carbon monoxide and particles, and a new objective for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Although the strategy is reviewed on a regular basis, there are no plans for a further review in the immediate future.

Local authorities are responsible for controlling dust under the statutory nuisance provisions of the Clean Air Act 1993, where no prescribed activity is taking place. Local authorities are also responsible, under the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales (AQS), for reviewing and assessing air quality in their areas against the air quality objectives of the AQS. They are also expected to take account of the assessment framework recommended in the UK Government sponsored research Do Particulates from Opencast Coal Mining Impair Children's Respiratory Health? when considering proposals for new sites, or extensions and modifications to existing sites. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has responsibilities under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA)1990, Part I and the Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) (Scotland) Regulations 2000, to regulate the prescribed activities which are undertaken at opencast coal sites. SEPA's main concern is to prevent, minimise or, where this is not practicable, render harmless all emissions of coal dust. This is achieved by means of an authorisation (under EPA 1990) or permit (under PPC 2000), which is issued to relevant opencast sites by SEPA. The authorisation/permit contains conditions, which allow for control of dust when carrying on the prescribed process or prescribed activity. Section 81 of the Environment Act 1995 also requires SEPA to have regard to the AQS. Through this mechanism, SEPA will have regard to local air quality management and will consider any objectives set out in the AQS when carrying out its functions and duties.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) provides guidelines on ambient exposure to formaldehyde. The WHO states that: "With regard to atmospheric exposure limit values for odour and sensory irritation for the general population and the non-industrial indoor environment, formaldehyde concentrations should not exceed 0.08 ppm. In the case of specially sensitive groups that show hypersensitivity reactions without immunological signs, formaldehyde concentrations should be kept to a minimum and should not exceed 0.008 ppm."Formaldehyde belongs to a group of pollutants known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), for which the national emission ceilings directive (Council Directive 2001/81/EC) sets emission ceilings for each member state to be achieved by 2010.

Action to limit emissions from non-road heavy duty engines has been taken through the introduction of EU Directive 97/68/EC. The Scottish Executive has no functions in relation to the directive. The directive sets mandatory emissions standards which must be met by all new non-road diesel engines in the 18-560kW power range. These standards regulate emissions of a number of pollutants including particulates. The directive is implemented in the United Kingdom by the Non-Road Mobile Machinery (Emission of Gaseous and Particulate Pollutants) Regulations 1999. The regulations are enforced by the Vehicle Certification Agency. Emissions from non-road diesel heavy duty engines will decrease over time as the proportion of the fleet meeting the tighter emission standards increases.