Chamber and committees

The primary responsibility for dealing with flooding and for taking flood prevention measures lies with the individual property owner. Local authorities have powers to prevent or mitigate the flooding of non-agricultural land in their area. Where they assess that the carrying out of maintenance works on a watercourse or connected works would substantially reduce the likelihood of flooding on non-agricultural land in their area they have, in particular circumstances, a duty to carry out that maintenance.

There have not been any requests from either the Scottish Environment Protection Agency or Aberdeenshire Council to discuss flooding matters since the recent flooding in Aberdeenshire and no such meetings have taken place.

We have no plans to abolish the right to buy.

The Food Standards Agency is currently undertaking a review of the over 30-month rule, under which the sale for human consumption of meat from cattle aged over 30 months at slaughter is prohibited. The review is expected to be completed in May 2003. The future of the Over Thirty Month Scheme will be examined in the light of advice from the agency on conclusion of their review.

No. As stated in the Executive's consultation paper on Renewing Local Democracy: The Next Steps published earlier this year, there are no plans to review local authority boundaries in the foreseeable future.

Circular 12/1996 is the Executive's guidance on the role of and the appropriate use of planning agreements, and should be considered in the particular circumstances of individual cases. The negotiation of a planning agreement is a matter, in the first instance, for the planning authority and the parties with an interest in the land. If, through such a negotiation, a developer agrees to fund the total cost of transport infrastructure improvements that is up to him or her. Interpretation of the legal and policy framework is ultimately a matter for the courts.

The Executive's programme of works for 2002-03 includes a scheme to reconstruct the A90 carriageway between the two roundabouts at Myrekirk Road and the Swallow Hotel. This work is due to start in November and will cost over £400,000. The current programme does not include plans to upgrade the roundabouts themselves.

The Executive will take forward with COSLA discussion of the Convention's unsuccessful attempt to produce a Code of Practice on rural school closures, following a recommendation to that effect made to COSLA by the Education, Culture and Sport Committee. The purpose of such discussion will be to consider the original objectives, progress made and whether, and if so how, this matter should be pursued.

On 18 September, Dr Richard Simpson, Deputy Minister for Justice, launched a new website www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. This has been developed by the General Register Office for Scotland, and will compliment VisitScotland's existing site, which links genealogy with a motivation to travel. In addition, VisitScotland will shortly be launching www.ancestralscotland.com in both Auckland and Sydney, and will be working in partnership with the British Tourist Association on their upcoming Destination Britain campaign in Australia and New Zealand.VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are also working together to develop Scottish genealogy tourism. A current research project will focus on the development of networks and commercial opportunities within this niche sector. This will include the identification and evaluation of the needs and expectations of actual and prospective genealogy tourists and it will report in mid-2003.

The Scottish Executive provides funding for the national network of Councils for Voluntary Service who work to a set of key objectives set by the Executive, one of which is to participate in the community planning process.Whilst the Executive does not provide funding for individual community councils, it does provide grant funding for the Association of Scottish Community Councils to enable them to play a full role in the representation of community council interests.The Executive has also issued general guidance to both local authorities and community councils on best practice in involving community councils in issues affecting the local community.