Chamber and committees

The Food Standards Agency’s remit in this respect is concerned with providing advice on the potential risk to food safety.

The Food Standards Agency’s position regarding the potential for the transfer of pathogens between raw foods (such as raw meat and vegetables containing soil) and ready to eat foods is clear. Carrier bags which have previously been used to transport unpackaged or unsealed raw foods could present a cross-contamination risk to unpackaged ready to eat foods.

Foods purchased from takeaways tend to be cooked, ready to eat foods which are usually wrapped or partially wrapped before placing in a carrier bag. These food items should not in themselves present a risk of contamination if they are cooked and handled properly by the caterer in accordance with food hygiene legislation.

With more and more consumers reusing carrier bags, either for sustainability or as a result of charging the Food Standards Agency’s advice to help prevent bacteria spreading to ready-to-eat food is as follows:

1. Keep raw meat and fish separate from ready-to eat-foods, in separate bags.

2. If your bags are re-useable, keep one or two just for use with raw meat and fish.

3. Do not use them for ready-to-eat foods.

4. Re-useable bags (and single use carrier bags) should be disposed of if there has been any spillage of raw meat juices.

The A82, A83 and A85 have, respectively, been closed for 97, 43 and 46 times over the last three full calendar years. In this period, there were 11 fatal reported personal injury accidents on the A82, 5 fatal accidents on the A83 and 11 fatal accidents on the A85.

These closures have also resulted for a variety of other reasons, including fallen trees, the recovery of broken down vehicles and the consequences of road traffic accidents. The duration of the closures are dependent on the circumstances of each incident and the closures associated with slight or non-injury accidents are often relatively short in timescale.

The lengthiest closures are often associated with the clearance and investigation of more serious accidents. Where the recovery and treatment of casualties is taking place, this has an obvious priority. Where accident investigations are taking place, the conduct of these is a matter for Police Scotland.

Transport Scotland and its operating companies work with Police Scotland on the diversionary routes for such closures and the clean-up of the site when the accident investigation is complete. Every effort is made to minimise the duration of closures. Each case is dependant, however, on the balance of operational and other priorities outlined above.

Although the Lord Advocate is head of the system of investigation of deaths and prosecution in Scotland, the matter of road closures for the investigation of road traffic accidents is an operational matter for Police Scotland.

The vessel replacement plan, as set out in Appendix 1, of the Scottish Ferry Services: Ferries Plan 2013 -2022 was based on future known requirements at the time of publication.

The ferries plan makes clear that for the Gourock to Dunoon town centre service, once the feasibility study has concluded, and has been considered by the Gourock Dunoon Ferry Services Steering Group, Scottish Ministers will decide what further actions are needed for this service. The Deputy First Minister has indicated that she intends to reach a conclusion on the way forward by the end of this year.

The MV Coruisk is due to enter service on the Gourock-Dunoon route on 19 December 2013.

The cost of the MV Coruisk providing additional relief cover as a passenger only vessel, over the course of the winter, is currently unknown as the full operational costs will only become evident after the service concludes in March 2014.

The MV Coruisk will be providing replacement sailings in the morning and in the evening peak hours. It will also be on standby as a relief vessel for the remainder of the day should either the MV Ali Cat or the MV Argyll Flyer be cancelled due to bad weather. It will be timetabled in accordance with the Public Service Contract between Scottish Ministers and Argyll Ferries Ltd.

The MV Coruisk will provide refit cover for the Wemyss Bay-Rothesay route before 19 December when the MV Argyle and MV Bute are off for their annual refits.

During its normal operating hours, the MV Coruisk will operate instead of the MV Ali Cat.

Marine Scotland Science have been working with developers of renewable energy projects on the east coast of Scotland, providing advice and guidance on suitable methodologies for surveying sandeels within these areas. This is to ensure that information is available to provide robust assessments of potential impacts on sandeels and their habitat when considering applications for consent.

Marine Scotland Science continues to survey sandeels on the east coast, as part of on-going research into this key species. Previous research has mapped habitat that is suitable for sandeels in the wee bankie region, as well as dredge and larval studies. This research was presented in Holland et al. 2005 Mar Ecol Prog Ser, 303, 269-282 and Greenstreet et al. 2010 ICES JMC 67, 971-984. This information is also being used a variety of other marine management purposes.

The Scottish Government fully appreciates the effect of landslips on the A83 to the communities of Argyll. However, landslips are a natural result of the topography and climate of Scotland and cannot be prevented. We can reduce the effects of landslips on the road network and significant investment has been made in the last few years.

On the A83, we have concentrated our efforts on the area of the road around the Rest and be Thankful, which has suffered most from landslips in the last few years. The section of the road between the Rest and be Thankful and Loch Fyne, on which there was a landslip on 3 October, has been identified as an area that may require further remedial work. As noted at the last A83 Taskforce meeting, studies are underway on the section of the A83 through Glen Kinglas to Cairndow. If these identify additional locations for debris netting or drainage work, these will be prioritised subject to the availability of funding. In the meantime, measures are being taken to ensure that any clear up can be as fast as possible and to ensure communications are strengthened further.

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

WRITTEN ANSWER

9 October 2013 (Holding Reply Issued 2 October 2013)

Index Heading: Enterprise & Environment

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether there was an increase or decrease in the amount of waste being sent to landfill between 2010 and 2011 and, if so, by how much.

(S4W-17269)

Richard Lochhead:The amount of Municipal Solid Waste landfilled decreased from 1,850,716 tonnes in 2010 to 1,744,155 tonnes in 2011. The total amount of all landfilled material increased from 4,535,232 tonnes in 2010 to 4,684,725 tonnes in 2011.

This is against a background of falling landfill from 7,319,302 tonnes in 2007 to 4,684,725 tonnes in 2011, a decline of 46%.

Decisions on which projects will be funded from the capital allocation for 2015-16 will be taken in consultation with Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd and David MacBrayne Ltd and in the context of the commitments set out in the Scottish Government’s Ferries Plan.

Radio reception falls under the reserved policy area of broadcasting, which is regulated by Ofcom. Improving radio reception would rest with the UK Government in discussion with the BBC and the commercial radio sector.

Last year, the UK Government announced that the A82 will benefit from its £150 million Mobile Infrastructure Project, which will improve mobile phone coverage in so-called “Not Spots”. The project is now underway.