Chamber and committees

The Executive is aware of the potential benefit of digital technology to rural areas. The Arkleton trust (Research) Ltd produced a report for Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) in 1995 evaluating the Highlands and Islands Telecommunications Initiative (HITI). The report showed that the initiative had exceeded its job creation targets. Presently HIE attribute over 3,000 jobs in the call centre sector in the region to the publicly supported infrastructure projects of the past decade, including the HITI.The Executive is aware that local loop unbundling may have an impact on rural areas and has asked Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to collaborate on a study to consider the likely extent of local loop unbundling in Scotland and to suggest measures to maximise its impact.

Fire brigades are pursuing all available means of reducing the number of unwanted fire signals from automatic fire detection systems. The British Fire Protection Systems Association and the Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers' Association (CACFOA) are active participants in a Campaign Task Group which is seeking to identify more effective measures to address this problem.

The Executive does study the sea fisheries and conservation recovery plans of other countries. Our scientists have frequent contacts with scientists from other countries, including those mentioned, and regularly investigate good practice in fisheries management.The Executive has been involved in the Canadian responsible fishing initiative, attending conferences at ministerial level in March 2000 and at official level in November 2000. I also plan to attend a conference on "sustainable utilisation of marine living resources" to be held in the Faroe Islands in June this year.The appropriate level of adoption for any such schemes, adapted for European conditions, would be at EU level as part of the review of the Common Fisheries Policy.

On matters of food safety and standards the Scottish Executive is advised by the Food Standards Agency. For foodstuffs generally the Food Labelling Regulations 1996 only require origin labelling where it is needed to avoid misleading consumers, for example where items on a label, such as a country or place name in the name of a food or use of a flag or other emblem, imply a different origin. The Agency is pressing for changes in EU rules to extend the range of foods on which origin labelling would be compulsory, including processed foods. It is also seeking changes in order to widen international standards in Codex Alimentarius; a UK discussion paper will be debated at the May meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling.

Following the closure of the Addicts Index in April 1997 the term 'registered drug addict' is no longer used. However the following statistics show the number of new problem drug users attending specialist treatment services or GP practices, for treatment for their drug misuse, for each of the past 5 years, as recorded in the Scottish Drug Misuse Database:

Health Board of residence	Year
	95/96	96/97	97/98	98/99	99/00
Ayrshire & Arran	189	302	357	139	1183
Borders	43	58	21	79	78
Argyll & Clyde	730	958	1365	1464	1237
Fife	221	384	362	395	430
Greater Glasgow	3066	3220	2837	2864	3223
Highland	59	58	61	75	124
Lanarkshire	328	353	320	426	536
Grampian	750	947	1056	1316	1344
Lothian	1770	1885	1789	1870	1989
Tayside	243	168	357	577	544
Forth Valley	160	172	160	335	277
Western Isles	1		2	5	14
Dumfries & Galloway	134	149	153	232	199
Shetland	26	27	43	24	17
Outside Scotland			3	2	8
Orkney			1

Council area of residence	Year
	95/96	96/97	97/98	98/99	99/00
Aberdeen City	583	726	812	1051	965
Dundee City	176	92	251	410	358
City of Edinburgh	1408	1458	1327	1354	1445
City of Glasgow	2887	3006	2574	2554	2864
Highland	59	58	60	75	124
Stirling	40	56	57	93	88
Fife	221	384	361	396	428

Actual and projected figures for the years 1996-97 to 2001-02 are given in the table below. Figures beyond 2001-02 will not be available until after completion of the next Strategic Review of Charges. Historical financial figures for the water authorities can be found in their published annual accounts. Copies of their accounts as laid before the Scottish Parliament, and pre-devolution, the Westminster Parliament, back to 1996-97 are held in the Parliament's Information Reference Centre.

West of Scotland Water Authority

£ millions

	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-00	2000-01	2001-02
Domestic	111	117.9	132.6	148.5	173	206.5
Non-domestic	123.2	120.4	124.4	121.3	125.7	128.7
Other income	8.9	9.1	8.5	8.1	9.1	9.5
Grants	0	0	0.1	0.8	0.2	0.2
TOTAL income
Borrowing	83.9	62.4	71.3	94.4	87	91

North of Scotland Water Authority

£ millions

	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-00	2000-01	2001-02
Domestic	58.6	62.5	70.2	79.4	115.4	134.7
Non-domestic	53.9	57.1	59.4	65.7	79.7	84.2
Other income	7.8	8.9	10.1	9.8	10.4	12.7
Grants	24.4	1.7	3.1	7.5	5	1.2
TOTAL income
Borrowing	41.6	47.1	43.7	39.7	50	87.3

East of Scotland Water Authority

£ millions

	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-00	2000-01	2001-02
Domestic	72.8	80.4	92.5	101.6	128.8	152.9
Non-domestic	72.6	74.1	83.4	87.6	82.1	73.8
Other income	16.1	18.8	18.1	18.5	21.3	22.8
Grants	5.9	1.1	3.8	0	0	0
TOTAL income
Borrowing	61.1	56.7	50.7	78.6	74.1	77.1

An initial recovery plan to protect the west coast cod stocks was agreed at a meeting held on 13 February. This plan comprises two closed areas, one off the north west coast of Scotland, and one in the Firth of Clyde. The closures will be brought in under a Commission emergency regulation which will come into force as soon as possible in March, and will run until the end of April. An indicative map showing the two areas has been lodged with the Parliaments Reference Centre. However, confirmation of the detailed co-ordinates for the closed areas has to await the publication of the Commission Regulation. A longer term plan for the area, including technical measures, will be developed over the coming months, in tandem with longer-term plans for the North Sea.

Following a meeting with representatives of the North East of Scotland Economic Partnership together with the Aberdeen and Grampian Tourist Board, Scottish Screen has been working with the Tourist Board to help attract potential incoming productions.

Information on the number of local authority-owned units sold is not collected centrally. Total proceeds from local authority asset sales as reported by local authorities back to 1996-97 is shown in the table. Figures for 1995-96 have been excluded as these include notional receipts.

£000's

	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-00
Total	495,442	327,567	335,037	303,582

Source: As reported by Local Authorities on the Statistical Return, Capital Payments and their financing ( CPR Fin 5)(1) Figures for 1995/96 and 1996/97 include Housing Revenue Account (HRA) as reported on HRA:Certificate of Capital Payment and Receipts

Information is only available for 1998 and 1994.

At September 1998
Average age of primary teachers	43
Average age of secondary teachers	43

At September 1994
Average age of primary teachers	42
Average age of secondary teachers	42

As you are aware I have recently sent a report on the supply of teachers to the Convenor of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee detailing the background to the current position on the collection of information relevant to teacher supply and outlining planned improvements to current methods. Copies of this report have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre for the information of all members. This information available on the average age of teachers will be inserted into the report as Annex G.