Chamber and committees

The Scottish Executive issued the document Guidance on Education of Children Absent from School Through Ill-Health on 19 December 2001. The information and advice contained in the document is applicable to all children, including those children with ME or chronic fatigue syndrome, who are absent from school through ill-health. Copies are held in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

Timber is indeed a significant asset to the rural economy and we look forward to it having an increasing impact. The forestry industry in Scotland currently employs over 10,000 people, most of whom live in rural areas. The industry will, however, develop as timber production from our forests is set to double over the next 10 to 15 years. One of the strategic directions in our Scottish Forestry Strategy is "To maximise the value to the Scottish economy of the wood resource becoming available over the next 20 years" We aim to maximise the value to the rural economy of this timber resource becoming available by working closely with the Scottish Forest Industries Cluster to promote competitiveness and innovation.

The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with relevant officials in Northern Ireland on a variety of air quality issues. These contacts have included discussions about the opencast lignite mine and power station near Ballymoney, the proposals for which are only at a very early stage. Such contacts will continue with a view to ensuring that any planned development meets the required environmental standards laid down by the relevant legislation.

While the findings of Professor Robinson are of some interest, there are alternative sources of protein commercially available to producers that would prevent losses of this nature.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-17515 on 22 August 2001.Once such a test is developed and fully validated, the Executive will seek to have the current EU prohibition on the use of fishmeal in ruminant feedstuffs lifted at the earliest possible opportunity.

Under section 6(f)(ii) of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill access rights would not be exercisable over land which has been developed or set out for a particular recreational purpose while in use for that purpose.

The Scottish Executive announced in November 2000 that it would be reviewing the Farm Woodland Premium Scheme and the Woodland Grant Scheme. The review is focusing on changes necessary to deliver priorities identified in the Scottish Forestry Strategy as well as the Scottish Agricultural Strategy and the Rural Development Regulation. A steering group representing a wide range of interests is assisting the Scottish Executive with the review and is currently analysing responses to a public consultation exercise carried out in 2001. The group is due shortly to come forward with recommendations to Scottish ministers.

Operations undertaken by the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency in the Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary area have resulted in the seizure of controlled drugs with an estimated street value of just over £860,000.

Dumfries and Galloway Tourist Board (DGTB) have, to date, put forward five applications for European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the South of Scotland Objective 2 2000-06 Programme.Of the five applications, three were submitted to the first round call for applications, at a time when the Area Tourism Strategy had not been finalised. members of the Advisory Group, who make recommendations on whether projects should receive ERDF support, highlighted a number of areas where the projects could be strengthened, including the importance of having the Area Tourism Strategy in place before awarding the projects support. Therefore, the projects were not approved for support during the first round. However, it was made clear to Dumfries and Galloway Tourist Board that strengthened, more strategic applications, based on those put forward to the first round, would be welcomed in the second round, to fit with the Area Tourism Strategy .Dumfries and Galloway Tourist Board accordingly resubmitted two applications to the second round, which were strategic in nature. These projects were approved for ERDF support totalling £1.24 million.No applications were received from DGTB in the third round.

Since the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency was formally launched on 1 June 2000, it has been involved in five joint operations relating to serious crime with Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary.