Chamber and committees

Where a local authority considers that a community council scheme ought to be amended, they are required to give public notice of their proposals, inviting any community council concerned and the public to make representations in respect of their proposals. Community councils may raise objections against amended schemes with the local authority. It is for local authorities to determine whether there are sufficient grounds to further amend their scheme in light of any such objections.We have no plans to introduce a statutory right of appeal against amended schemes.

Responsibility for management of traffic rests primarily with Aberdeen City Council. There is consultation with the Executive on trunk road matters.

The £26 million funding announced for the pig industry on 30 March was for the UK and no part of the funding was specifically allocated for Scotland. Approval for the Pig Industry Restructuring Scheme (PIRS) from the EC has taken nearly nine months and final approval was only received in December. The delay in securing EC approval for the scheme will mean that no money will be spent this financial year.

Some of the money allocated for the scheme has been used to pay for the Pig Welfare (Disposal) Scheme which has provided financial compensation to pig producers in East Anglia who were affected by movement restriction orders as a result of the outbreak of Classical Swine Fever.

In the late summer MAFF announced a further £20 million for PIRS for each of the financial years 2001-02 and 2002-03. The Outgoers scheme is now open for applications and it is expected that the successful applicants will receive their payments during the financial year 2001-02 on exactly the same basis as originally planned. No Scottish farmer wishing to participate in the Outgoers scheme will be disadvantaged due to the delay in the start of the scheme.There will be no change to the level of funding for producers in Scotland or elsewhere in the UK for those who qualify for the Ongoers scheme. Decisions on the overall future funding for the Pig Industry Restructuring Scheme will be made once the scale of payments for the Outgoers scheme are known and the demand for assistance under the Ongoers scheme has been assessed.

This programme was developed by the University of Hertfordshire with funding from MAFF and other bodies. The Scottish Executive saw no point in duplicating this effort and I am now considering the case for adapting this programme to meet Scottish needs as part of the development of the Agricultural Strategy for Scotland.

The EU legislation covering the Arable Area Payments Scheme requires that payments only be made on crops which are suited agriculturally and climatically for growing in the areas concerned. Existing evidence and scientific views suggest that sweet lupins are not suitable for growing in Scotland.However, my officials are beginning a round of further consultation and analysis with scientific advisers and members of the industry to evaluate the viability of newer varieties. Based upon the outcome of these discussions, the position on inclusion of sweet lupins in the scheme in Scotland will be reviewed in advance of the 2002 AAPS Scheme year.

The Local Capital Grants Scheme is designed to assist local voluntary, youth and community organisations to provide new or upgrade existing premises for educational, social and recreational activities. I invited bids for the 2001-02 round on 10 October. The closing date for local authorities to submit their prioritised list of bids to the Executive was 8 December 2000.

Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust was forecasting an overspend of £12 million as at 31 January 2000. The task force was appointed in February 2000 and the Trust is now forecasting a year-end overspend of £7.5 million for the financial year 2000-01.

The ongoing work to restore financial balance whilst protecting patient services is well under way and is being closely monitored.

The Farm Business Advisory Service is designed to meet English needs. The Scottish Executive provides resources, amounting to around £5 million per annum, to the Scottish Agricultural College for the provision of advisory services to the agricultural sector on a wide range of services. Business advice to farm co-operatives is also provided from the Executive's annual grant of £0.370 million to the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society, and Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise through individual LECs help farmers with business advice. Future priorities for the provision of advice to the agricultural sector are being considered as part of the development of a Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture.

There are already many activities under way to offer advice and support to sufferers of stress and their families across Scotland, including in rural areas. For example, the Executive provides funding to Stresswatch Scotland to carry out such services across Scotland. We are also in regular contact with other bodies involved in providing similar services, and are aware, for example, that many health boards in rural areas are involved in activities to offer support to those suffering stress and other emotional and mental health problems. Given the range of activities already under way, we do not consider that a further initiative targeting stress in rural areas is required at this time.

The Executive has no plans to review such regulations but remains closely in touch with the industry to identify any problems which may arise.

For the future, we will continue to consult the industry on the implementation of significant new regulations. The recommendations of the Red Tape Review report, designed to reduce burdens on farmers, are also being actively pursued - with a number already implemented. The Red Tape Review Panel also concluded that the UK does not, in general, apply regulations any more strictly than other member states. In addition, we will be studying the recently published Better Regulation Task Force report Environmental Regulations and Farmers relating to England, to see whether its recommendations may be adapted to benefit Scottish farmers.