Chamber and committees

As indicated in the answer given to question S1W-23228 today, there is no accurate data on the number of properties that have internal lead pipes or lead pipes connecting the property to the public water supply. Consequently, there is no reliable estimate of the cost of eliminating all lead water pipes.The report Drinking Water Quality in Scotland 1994 did suggest that the cost of replacement of all domestic lead plumbing would, at that time, be around £480 million. However, if the replacement was restricted to pipes directly supplying drinking water, the report suggests a cost of £280 million. However, the 1994 report did stress that these costs must be treated with some caution.The number of properties with copper pipes with lead solder joints is not known and no cost estimate has been made regarding their replacement.

The information requested is not held centrally.

If a customer is concerned that they may be at risk from lead in their drinking water, as a result of lead plumbing, the water authority will test their supply on request and free of charge. A similar service is available from the local authority environmental health department.

Local authorities have discretion to pay repair grants towards the cost of replacing lead plumbing in private sector houses. This also applies to business premises which share plumbing with such houses, where the premises are subject to a repair notice. The amount of grant payable is dependent on the grant applicant's resources. Grant is not normally payable in respect of a house less than 10 years old.

In order to minimise the overall time taken, the vetting process normally starts before interns are assigned to party groups and a formal application for a security pass received. There are currently 12 USA interns working in the Parliament, of whom nine have been security cleared. The average time that those who have been cleared waited for a security pass, broken down by political party, is:

Party	No. of Interns	Average Time
Labour	4	5 weeks
Scottish National Party*	1	4 weeks
Liberal Democrat*	1	6 weeks
Conservative	3	5 weeks

*The Security Office continues to hasten the clearance of the remaining three interns. (SNP-2, Lib/Dem-1).

As part of the Parliament's security vetting policy, checks are carried out with the relevant foreign authorities on all applicants who are foreign nationals or who have lived abroad for a period during the previous five years. Under normal circumstances, the clearance of such applicants takes on average five weeks: the average for UK resident applicants is two weeks. The terrorist attacks of 11 September resulted in increased demands on the resources of the USA authorities and low priority was given to vetting enquiries. Clearance times increased to an average of 16 weeks, which meant that the interns who commenced in September 2001 had finished their assignment before clearance had been received. As a result of measures set up with Edinburgh University, which arranges the internships, together with easing pressures on the USA authorities, the average clearance time for the most recent intake of interns is currently eight weeks, with the majority being cleared within six weeks.

The Executive's Gaelic policy includes a substantial programme of support for the Gaelic language. This provides specific grants for education authorities to enable them to respond to parents' requests for Gaelic-medium education for their children.

A wide range of public and private sector organisations, authorities, and agencies throughout Scotland are committed to local initiatives to promote the physical, social and economic regeneration of small towns. The Scottish Executive supports the aims of the Association for Small Towns in Scotland in seeking to disseminate information and advice about the regeneration of small towns.

The Scottish Executive has no plans to bring forward specific proposals regarding the establishment of town champions. However, any appointment by local authorities of appropriate people to such, or similar, posts would be consistent with the general thrust of Designing Places, the Executive's design policy statement published in November 2001, which encourages local authorities to recognise their role in raising aspirations for good design.

The Scottish Executive is committed to the effective use of public resources, and the resources invested in the Government Car Service are no exception.The operation of the Government Car Service in Scotland is consistent with UK guidance on ministerial transport. It provides or arranges the provision of transport principally for Scottish ministers and ministers of UK Government Departments when in Scotland.The scheduling system is designed to match the arrival of cars to the timetable for ministerial engagements, and keep waiting times to a minimum. However, there can be unforeseen circumstances that give rise to cars waiting longer than anticipated.