Chamber and committees

Until a new water treatment plant is commissioned, the public in Glasgow remains at risk from cryptosporidium in the water supply. To minimise this risk, Scottish Water has reduced the number of sheep grazing on the land owned by Scottish Water around Loch Katrine and all sheep owned by Scottish Water will be off the catchment by the middle of this month. It is because of this risk that continual monitoring takes place. However, cryptosporidium is ubiquitous in the environment and can be carried by wild animals as well as farm animals.Scottish Water is also constructing a pipeline to bring treated water from Balmore water treatment works into the Glasgow area. This will have the effect of reducing the size of the population exposed to the risk from cryptosporidium by about 90,000 people.

The answer given to question S1W-26583 pointed out that the effectiveness of the treatment process proposed for Milngavie, like all treatment processes, was dependent on the monitoring and control regimes put in place, but that Scottish Water planned to operate the new works in accordance with industry best practice.The proposed process is similar to the process used at the Balmore water treatment works which treats Loch Lomond water successfully. The process is used widely for the treatment of upland waters typical in Scotland and other similar parts of the United Kingdom e.g. Watchgate in Manchester. The suitability of the process for Loch Katrine water, including its ability to remove cryptosporidium sized particles, has been proved in extensive and independently verified pilot plant trials.

Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) assessments are calculated under a formula agreed with all local authorities through COSLA, and most recently reviewed in 2000. The GAE assessment for roads maintenance is calculated on the basis of weighted lane length, and already takes account of whether the road is a principal route and is adjusted for volume of traffic in each local authority area. Within this system, provision for the Clyde Tunnel is calculated on the basis of its length and dual carriageway status. The Executive has no plans to amend the agreed formula to take account of the role of specific roads, such as the Clyde Tunnel.Overall, funding for local authorities is provided as unhypothecated revenue grant. It is entirely a matter for Glasgow City Council to determine the priority to be given to maintenance and safety improvements on the Clyde Tunnel route.

It is important to emphasise that the primary responsibility for the prevention of flooding lies with the land and property owners concerned. In addition long standing planning advice, as incorporated in National Planning Policy Guideline 7, advises against new developments in flood risk areas.Glasgow City Council has recently updated its flood risk assessment for areas alongside the River Clyde, which indicates an increase in the risk of flooding. The council is now considering how best to address this flood risk and, in doing so, has consulted with the Executive.It is for councils to bring forward proposals to reduce flood risk before funding can be considered. Grants are available to councils, under the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961 for confirmed flood prevention schemes, at a rate of 50% subject to satisfying design, environmental, sustainable development and cost benefit criteria. However, Glasgow City Council's consideration of the flood risk issue is at an early stage and no specific flood prevention proposals have yet been brought forward. We will maintain close contact with the council as it develops its thinking and consider requests for funding as and when these are made.

The current draft directions and guidance for the next Scottish passenger rail franchise direct the Strategic Rail Authority to develop a franchise which, subject to the requirement to provide value for money, will improve intercity links throughout Scotland through reduced journey times.

National targets for literacy and numeracy are included in the Social Justice Milestones and in Working Together for Scotland. These are: to increase the proportion of children attaining appropriate levels in reading, writing and maths by the end of primary two and primary seven, and to ensure that all our young people leaving local authority care will have achieved at least English and Maths Standard Grades. There is a national target set out in the Adult Literacy and Numeracy in Scotland report of helping 80,000 adults throughout Scotland over the three-year period to March 2004.In line with the National Priorities for Education, local authorities and their schools are required to establish local targets for literacy and numeracy for school pupils. The targets for the period up to 2005 are currently being considered. The targets should be stretching, but realistic. We are also in the process of finalising outcome agreements which set agreed targets for each local authority area aimed at raising levels of adult literacy and numeracy.

Railway fares are either regulated by the Strategic Rail Authority or set on a commercial basis by the train operating companies. The Scottish Executive has no direct locus or powers to intervene in either.

The information requested is set out in the table:

	CS Grant(£ million)	Private Finance(£ million)	Total(£ million)
Actual expenditure 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2002	14.617	6.260	20.877
Planned expenditure 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003	4.488	1.920	6.408
Total	19.105	8.180	27.285

It would not be appropriate to require developers to address all material considerations in environmental statements.The minimum information requirements of environmental statements, are specified in regulations. The regulations also specify a wider range of information that must be included in environmental statements where reasonable in the circumstances of the case. This includes information on the proposal's cumulative effects and its effects on the population insofar as these are related to the environment. The regulations represent precisely the requirements of the European Directive on Environmental Impact Assessment.It is for the planning authority to ensure that all other material considerations, including social impact where appropriate, are taken into consideration along with the environmental statement in determining the application. Planning authorities have general powers to require applicants to submit further information which the authority requires to determine a planning application.

We have given very careful consideration to the responses to the consultation paper on the Review of Strategic Planning and we will be publishing our conclusions and the next steps tomorrow. Our conclusions on the main proposals are:

• that a national planning framework (referred to in the consultation paper as a national overview document) will be prepared;

• that the requirement for blanket two tier development plans be removed;

• that strategic development plans be prepared by joint committees for the four largest cities (i.e. Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee) and their hinterlands, and

• that there will be a re-branding and sharper focus of the National Planning Policy Guidelines series. The current thinking is that they should be called Scottish Planning Policies.

There remains a great deal of detailed work to be done and we will be taking this forward with key stakeholders in the same open and inclusive manner in which we have carried out the earlier stages of the review. Copies of the Review of Strategic Planning: Conclusions and Next Steps will be available in the Parliament's Reference Centre tomorrow.