Chamber and committees

An official from the Scottish Executive's GM Co-ordination Team attends fortnightly liaison meetings on biotechnology issues involving officials from the UK Government and the devolved administrations. After the formal meeting on 5 May, he participated in a conversation with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food and the Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions during which he learned of the possible problem.

He was informed that an unspecified amount of Advanta rapeseed had been imported from Canada containing traces of a GM contaminant that only had clearance to be grown for research purposes in this country. It was understood that some of the contaminated seed might have been planted and that Scotland could be affected.

This information was relayed to officials in the Food and Agriculture Group of my department who, during the course of the following week, pressed MAFF officials for further details. The full extent of the problem was only elicited on 15 May.

I refer the member to my answer to question S1W-6664.

I refer the member to the answer I gave to question S1W-4514.

Exchanges between the Scottish Executive and the UK Government are conducted on a confidential basis.

I have commissioned research into the types of campaigning that would most effectively influence people to act in an environmentally sustainable way. When this research is complete I will consider whether the Executive should run a campaign in Scotland similar to the "Are You Doing Your Bit?" campaign run by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, and what level of funding to devote to any such campaign.

The Scottish Executive recently issued guidance to local authorities to assist them in preparing their full Local Transport Strategies. This provides advice on the contribution powered two wheelers can make in delivering integrated transport policies.The Executive proposes to legislate in the forthcoming Integrated Transport Bill to give powers to local authorities to provide devices for the secure parking of powered two wheelers.Officials from the Executive meet regularly with motorcycle representative groups to discuss issues relating to powered two wheelers as a viable transport mode.

In the last three years the Scottish Executive dealt with four planning applications in the east end of Glasgow none of which was refused. I cannot answer for those applications considered by Glasgow City Council.In the same period, three companies had applications for Regional Selective Assistance turned down. The case details are commercially confidential.

Drinking Water Quality in Scotland 1994 reviewed the extent of lead pipes in domestic plumbing. The estimate then was that there were 589,000 properties in Scotland with lead plumbing. The results of a lead sampling programme about to be undertaken by the water authorities should provide a more up-to-date estimate of the number of households with lead plumbing.

It is not known how many properties have internal plumbing with lead soldered joints but such joints were the normal form of construction until lead solder was banned from water fittings in 1987. The Executive has asked the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health to carry out a survey of new houses to determine the extent to which lead soldered joints have been used in new homes.

The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Scotland) Regulations 1990 require water authorities to notify customers of lead failures associated with water samples taken from their premises and of the measures that could be taken to reduce the risk to health from lead.

The new Drinking Water Directive tightens the standard for lead and it also requires the water authorities to notify both property owners and consumers of any lead failures. The water authorities are about to undertake a lead sampling programme to identify any problem areas within their water supply zones. Property owners and consumers will be advised of any failures detected during the sampling programme.

There is no lead contamination in the public water supply. Lead contamination occurs as a result of the use of lead for internal plumbing or for service pipes which connect properties to the water main in the street. The water authorities own the short length of service pipe from the main to the property boundary but property owners are responsible for the remainder of the service pipe and for all internal plumbing. The Executive has asked the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health to carry out a survey to establish the extent to which lead has been used, in contravention of the water bylaws, in the plumbing systems of new houses.