Chamber and committees

We shall be consulted by Department of Trade and Industry Ministers before they reach a decision on the fuel management option to be adopted. In making our views known to DTI, we shall take into account a wide range of aspects, including the nature of all the responses made as part of the consultation exercise.

The international waters of the North East Atlantic are regulated by the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, (NEAFC), of which the European Union is a Contracting Party. As of last year, new EU regulations on the control and enforcement of fishing activity in these waters came into being. Scottish fishermen have a strong interest in these waters, particularly the Atlanto-Scandian Herring fishery. All EU Member States which fish in these waters are being asked to help met the EU's enforcement obligation for this year. Vessels of the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency (SFPA) will patrol the Atlanto-Scandian Herring fishery in the waters north of Norway over a three week period next month. In order that SFPA officers are able to regulate and enforce against foreign vessels in international waters, new powers are required by the Scottish Ministers to appoint officers as NEAFC Inspectors. I am therefore pleased to announce that an Order that enables the Scottish Ministers to assume these powers has been laid today before the UK Parliament. The Sea Fishing (North East Atlantic Control Measures) Order 2000 has been drafted in close consultation with the Scottish Executive and comes into force on 1 August. A copy of the Order will be placed in SPICe.

Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) is a nationalised industry and a private limited company under the Companies Act 1985. Policy and Financial Management Reviews (PFMR) require to be conducted for NDPBs and Agencies of the Scottish Executive only.

The programme of monitoring for radioactivity in the environment undertaken on behalf of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) includes the sampling and measurement of radioactivity in various environmental media and foodstuffs from locations throughout Scotland. A significant proportion of the monitoring programme relates to samples taken around nuclear sites. The strategy behind the sampling and measurement programme has the following objectives:

• the monitoring of radioactive isotopes which are significant in terms of the discharges authorised under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 from individual sites;

• the monitoring of radioactive isotopes which indicate plant performance at individual sites; and

• the monitoring of environmental media and foodstuffs which may represent a significant pathway to man.

A further purpose of the monitoring programme is to act as an additional check for compliance with conditions in authorisations for the discharge of waste and to provide a baseline dataset from which to judge the importance of accidental releases of radioactivity, should they occur.

The sample locations, frequency of measurements and the radioactive isotopes monitored are published annually by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and SEPA in the 'Radioactivity in Food and the Environment' (RIFE) report. A copy of the most recent report (RIFE-4), for 1998, is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib number 1985).

The annual costs to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, including overheads, in the period 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000, from authorising, overseeing and monitoring of radioactive discharges into the environment were:

1. £280,000 in respect of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority;
2. £61,000 in respect of British Nuclear Fuels Ltd;
3. £61,000 in respect of British Energy, and
4. £31,000 in respect of other operations of plants discharging significant quantities of radioactive matter into the environment.

Following a comprehensive review of costs by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, a revised charging rate will be implemented on 1 September 2000. This is expected to achieve full cost recovery from April 2001.

The administration of the SSRA is matter for its Chief Executive.

The focus of the Executive's policy in this area is on travel to work, as traffic congestion is most concentrated in the morning and evening peak. The Executive believes that congestion is most effectively tackled by a variety of means, including walking and cycling access, home delivery services, the take-up of green transport plans by business, improvements to public transport, road user charges and a levy on parking at the workplace. The Commission for Integrated Transport is currently considering, on behalf of the UK Government, the case for a levy on non-workplace customer parking and the Executive awaits its findings with interest.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-7628.

We intend that in future a new Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care will regulate services. The aim is to ensure quality of provision and consistent requirements on providers of similar services across different parts of Scotland. All providers will be required to meet standards appropriate to their service and will, of course, be able to exceed any minimum requirements.

The Scottish Executive has received copies of the responses to the consultation exercise. We are currently considering these and will liaise with DTI Ministers before a final decision is reached.