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.

The information available is shown below. The first table shows the average daily flow of Heavy Goods Vehicles over a seven-day week in September of each year.

Location (1)	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Bridge of Don	Na (2)	1102	na	1445	1415	1477	1509	1448
Cruden Bay	615	684	727	669	na	778	940	773
Inverugie	400	319	321	324	358	390	422	353

Notes:1. Automated traffic counters have been located here since 1992 or 1993.2. n/a - figure not available.Consistent expenditure information is only available for the last three completed financial years and is shown in the table.

1996-97	1997-98	1998-99
£1.957 million	£2.015 million	£2.577 million

Notes: Figures include major improvement scheme preparation, capital expenditure on bridge maintenance, accident investigation and prevention and minor improvements and revenue expenditure on routine cyclical and winter maintenance.In addition, since 1974 major improvement schemes at Fountainbleau, Auchenten, Hatton, Murcar-Balmedie and Ellon and numerous minor improvement schemes have been implemented.

Midlothian Council were awarded £802,000 additional capital consent from the second round of the Scottish Executive's Public Transport Fund towards the cost of a bridge to take cyclists and pedestrians across the Edinburgh City Bypass at Sheriffhall. The allocation of this additional capital consent, of which £600,000 has been issued to the council, relates to financial year 2000-01.

The original solum of the Waverley Line, proposed by consultants as the most appropriate location for its reinstatement to link with the existing track at Millerhill, meets the City Bypass approximately 500 metres from the preferred location for the pedestrian crossing. Each project presents very different technical challenges. It will be open to the relevant councils to consider whether project development requirements for the reinstatement of the Borders Railway meet the criteria set out in the Public Transport Fund.

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.

The Scottish Executive is fully complying with European Community legislative procedures for public procurement.