Chamber and committees

I refer to my previous replies of 14 December and 11 January to questions S1W-2867 and S1W-3390. We received the chief executive's response on 7 December, and it was in the light of that that I wrote to the leader of the council on the lines described in my reply of 11 January to S1W-3390. I am looking forward to receiving his reply.

The National Waste Strategy: Scotland, which we adopted in December, sets out the framework for Scotland to move towards more sustainable waste management. It is clear that a great increase in the amount of recycling by local authorities is needed.

Soundly-based targets have a part to play in implementing the Strategy and I have asked the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to advise me on appropriate targets for recycling by local authorities by the end of this year

I am looking to local authorities and others involved in Area Waste Strategy groups as part of the National Strategy to develop plans which will maximise recycling as we strive to divert waste away from landfill. We have made £2.5 million per annum from 2000-01 available to local authorities to assist with this work.One of the main problems in achieving increased recycling levels is the lack of stable markets for recycled materials. Last year I was pleased to launch the REMADE project which aims to demonstrate that viable markets can be developed for recycled materials in Scotland.

Information on face-to-face patient/GP consultations is available nationally from a representative sample of General Practices in Scotland.An analysis of the recorded incidence of stomach and digestive system disease based on this sample is shown in table 1 below, covering the period from the first introduction in Europe of foods with GM ingredients.

Table 1		Incidence rate per 1,000 population
Year	Number of GP Practices	Stomach Disease	Digestive system disease (including Stomach disease)
1995	7	24.0	194.8
1996	33	17.7	173.1
1997	43	19.2	175.6
1998	40	20.3	182.1

Information derived from GP prescriptions which provide details of the number of prescribed items for drugs which act upon the gastrointestinal system is shown in table 2.

Table 2	Number of items prescribed by GPs
Year	Digestive system disease (including Stomach disease)	Year	Digestive system disease (including Stomach disease)
1992	4,627,578	1996	5,415,881
1993	4,850,776	1997	5,528,732
1994	5,070,258	1998	5,706,338
1995	5,211,694

There are a multitude of possible factors behind stomach and digestive system disease and the existence of any trends cannot easily be attributed to any one factor.

Government Supported Expenditure will be £6,746 million in 2000-01, an increase of 3.7% over the comparable figure for this year, and higher than the projected increase in inflation. It is for individual local authorities to prepare their own budgets in the light of their own local circumstances, which may vary, as will their employment decisions.

I understand that it has been the policy of Stirling Council since 1996 to include in committees members who were thought to be able to bring particular useful points of view or experience to the work of the committees. The Council is fully entitled to follow that policy, within the limits of the law. In the light of its experience of operating the policy, I have invited the leader of the council to let me know of any suggestions which we might consider for amendment of the legislation governing membership of councils.

The package to assist Scottish Opera will draw on anticipated savings in the assisted places scheme in 1999-2000, as a result of the scheme being phased out. The remainder of the assistance for Scottish Opera and Hampden has been met from end year flexibility arrangements.

The provision of police air support is an operational matter and therefore one for Chief Constables.

It is for Stirling Council to account for its actions in this or any other matter. I understand that the draft minutes of the meeting at which this decision was taken are already in the public domain.

Strict standards to protect public health are set out in drinking water quality legislation. Robust systems, involving the local authority, the health board and the water authority, are in place to ensure that public drinking water supplies are wholesome. Health hazards can arise from domestic plumbing which is the responsibility of the owner of the property. If concern relates to lead plumbing, discretionary repair grants may be available from the local authority to assist householders with lead pipe replacement. Local authorities have a duty to monitor the quality of private water supplies in their area and discretionary repair grants may also be available to members of the public served by private water supplies.

In keeping with the priority that we attach to cancer, the Scottish Cancer Group has been set up to take forward at national level the further development of cancer services. The Group's tasks include the establishment of robust systems of clinical audit to underpin quality assurance systems, the development of waiting time targets for cancer services and the establishment of managed clinical networks.Specific financial information related to new investment in cancer services at local level is not, however, held centrally. Health Boards are given an annual general revenue allocation. It is for Health Boards to determine within the funds available how to manage and deliver local healthcare services that meet the healthcare needs of their resident populations, including cancer services, one of the clinical priorities for the NHS in Scotland.