Chamber and committees

The recovery rate for cryptosporidium oocysts using the monitoring methodology proposed for Milngavie is around 50%. However, the methodology proposed is the best currently available.

There is no maximum level set for cryptosporidium in The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Scotland) Regulations. The regulations require that water does not contain any micro-organism or parasite at a concentration which would constitute a potential danger to human health.

Neither the European Drinking Water Directive nor The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Scotland) Regulations set performance criteria for cryptosporidium removal at water treatment works. Where there is an identified risk of cryptosporidium entering a water supply, The Cryptosporidum (Scottish Water) Directions 2002 require that a treatment process and operating protocols, appropriate for the identified risk, are put in place to minimise that risk.

Scottish Water has carried out extensive trials on pilot plant to check the performance of the water treatment process proposed for Milngavie. However, should the full scale plant fail to meet all the necessary regulatory standards, then the Drinking Water Quality Regulator will require remedial measures to be put in place.

The treatment technology selected for the proposed Milngavie water treatment works is widely used across the industry. The effectiveness of the process, like all treatment processes, is dependent on the monitoring and control regimes put in place. Scottish Water plans to operate the new works in accordance with industry best practice.

There are no certification schemes covering the efficiency of water treatment processes. The highly variable nature of raw water means that the treatment technology appropriate for a particular treatment works has to be selected by carrying out trials on the raw water being used for that supply. The efficiency of any processes is also dependent on the operating regime put in place.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25988.

Information about the number of complaints that are received, or how many reports have been finalised, by (a) the Commissioner for Local Administration in Scotland, (b) the Scottish Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and (c) the Health Service Commissioner for Scotland, is not held centrally.Details of complaints made during the years 1999-2000 and 2000-01 are contained in each office-holder's relevant annual reports, copies of which are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre. Equivalent details for the year 2001-02 would be held by each of the relevant offices.

Transport Challenge Funding and Public Transport Fund grants totalling £11.6 million have been made to Fife Council to support additional rail services between south Fife and Edinburgh, and to make improvements to rail services and stations at Rosyth and Inverkeithing. In addition, grants of £4.7 million have been made to Fife and City of Edinburgh Councils to develop park-and-ride and bus priority measures between Fife and Edinburgh.There are currently no new public transport services to Strathclyde or other parts of Scotland. However, dedicated bus and taxi services at the ferry terminal will link to the wider Scottish bus and rail networks through Inverkeithing, Dunfermline and Edinburgh.

The Scottish Executive is supporting improved public transport links between Dunbartonshire and Glasgow which is a major interchange for bus services from Buchanan Street Bus Station or regular rail services to other parts of Scotland, including Edinburgh from Queen Street or Central Station. The improvements to the Dunbartonshire to Glasgow links include the Baillieston to Faifley Quality Bus Corridor, and doubling the frequency of rail services between Milngavie and Glasgow as part of the Larkhall-Milngavie rail project.