Chamber and committees

The work of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is monitored through regular meetings with the Scottish Executive. SEPA's corporate targets are agreed by Ministers annually. Its Annual Report and Corporate Plan are approved by Ministers and laid in Parliament.

The development of tram or light rail projects may be eligible for financial assistance under the Public Transport Fund (PTF) or the Integrated Transport Fund (ITF). The City of Edinburgh Council has submitted a bid which includes the development of light rail in North Edinburgh to the preparation pool of the Public Transport Fund (PTF). I expect to make announcements on the current round of PTF bids by the end of October.

The Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), which came into force on 22 December 2000, will require us to establish environmental objectives for water bodies based on their ecological status. In some circumstances these objectives could require more stringent controls on the discharge of sewage. The Scottish Executive's consultation paper Rivers, Lochs, Coasts: The Future for Scotland's Waters, explaining the Directive and setting out possible actions for comment, is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib No. 14576).

The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) imposes obligations to establish waste water collecting and treatment systems within a specified timescale and to specific standards, depending on the size of the community ("agglomeration") and the location of the discharge. The remaining future deadline is 31 December 2005. By this date, adequate collecting systems or other appropriate environmental protection must be provided for agglomerations above 2,000 population equivalent. Standard treatment is also to be provided by then for all waste water entering collecting systems at coastal agglomerations of 10,000 population equivalent or above, and at all agglomerations above 2,000 population equivalent discharging to fresh water or estuaries, and anywhere else where a collecting system exists. The Directive does, however, allow for storm water overflows.

The Scottish Executive is currently consulting on designation of 81 coastal waters, to apply the standards set in the Shellfish Waters Directive (79/923/EEC) at those locations. These standards include ceilings for microbiological contamination. Should these waters be designated, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency will be charged with drawing up improvement programmes which, if appropriate, will further control discharge of sewage at those locations. The consultation paper is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib No. 14764).

The Scottish Executive will ensure that the UK representatives on the EU Social Protection Committee take account of Scottish Executive interests when they discuss the preparation of an initial report for the spring 2002 European Council on health care and care for the elderly.

This is a matter for Argyll and Clyde Health Board and Argyll and Clyde Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16494.

This information is not held centrally.

Strategies for the care of patients with a wide variety of conditions, including dyspraxia, are the responsibility of health boards, who are best suited to assess local needs. Ultimately, the decision on a diagnosis or whether to adopt a particular form of treatment is a matter for individual clinical judgement.Children with dyspraxia are usually treated by a combination of occupational therapy and physiotherapy. They may also benefit from educational support, and will therefore be among the children who will benefit from the Executive's £12 million inclusion programme announced on 11 May 2000.

This information is not held centrally.

This information is not held centrally. It is for health boards, consulting as necessary with education and social services departments, to make arrangements for the assessment of children with dyspraxia.