Chamber and committees

Professor Grant and the steering board that is leading this element of the public debate are currently preparing a detailed programme deploying the considerable amount of public funding that has been made available for this purpose. The Scottish Executive and the other UK administrations are committed to a meaningful debate that gets to the root of what matters to the public about the issues raised by the possible commercialisation of GM crops. We believe that the budget that has been provided is commensurate with this aim. The conclusions of the debate will be invaluable in assisting ministers when the results of the current farm-scale evaluations are considered and when future decisions on possible commercialisation need to be taken.

This is a matter for the Chief Executive of Scottish Water. His response is as follows:Total debt inherited by Scottish Water on 1 April 2002 for water and wastewater services totalled £260 million, with £155 million being owed by household customers and £105 million by commercial customers. Associated provisions, which in part reflect non-payment risk, were £119 million and £47 million respectively leaving net debt positions of £36 million for household debt and £59 million for commercial debt.It should be noted that in Scotland household debt is collected on behalf of Scottish Water by local authorities.

This is a matter for the Chief Executive of Scottish Water. His response is as follows:Total debt excluding unearned debt (i.e. the debt associated with annual bills being issued in advance of service usage) for water and wastewater services totalled £284 million with £176 million being owed by household customers and £108 million by commercial customers. Associated provisions, which in part reflect non-payment risk, were £131 million and £52 million respectively leaving net debt positions of £45 million for household debt and £56 million for commercial debt.It should be noted that in Scotland household debt is collected on behalf of Scottish Water by local authorities.

The Chief Scientist Office (CSO), within the Scottish Executive Health Department has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health and health care needs in Scotland. The CSO is not aware of any recent research having been carried out on links between HIV/AIDS and exposure to radioactivity. From peer-reviewed internationally published literature, research carried out in the 1990s suggests that exposure to radiation can weaken the immune system and make the body more susceptible to infection including HIV/AIDS.

The security of the stores is primarily the responsibility of the storekeeper and is covered in the contract. A strict control regime is also in place. The stores and vehicles travelling to and from them are sealed and operated on a dedicated basis. All loads are tracked, weighed at both ends of the journey and subject to documentary control, including comprehensive stock and movements records at each site. In the UK the Meat and Livestock Commission supervise activity, and they are subject to second-tier checks by technical officers. Inactive stores are also subject to regular checks.

At the start of November 85,000 tonnes of meat and bonemeal remain in storage across the UK, at various locations, including one in Scotland at Whitehill Industrial Estate, Glenrothes.The following is a corrected answer (published on 26 November 2002); see below.At the start of November 185,000 tonnes of meat and bonemeal remain in storage across the UK, at various locations, including one in Scotland at Whitehill Industrial Estate, Glenrothes.

The yearly cost of storing Over Thirty Months Slaughter Scheme (OTMS) rendered products (meat and bonemeal (MBM) and tallow) peaked at around £21 million in the 2001-02 financial year when 15 MBM stores and three tallow stores were on contract throughout the UK. Costs are reducing as stores are emptied and decommissioned. Stocks are disposed of by incineration with energy recovery.

The Rural Payments Agency is responsible on behalf of all UK Agriculture Ministers for the operation of the Over Thirty Months Slaughter Scheme (OTMS), including disposal. The two products of OTMS rendering, meat and bonemeal (MBM) and tallow, are incinerated with energy recovery. The agency achieved its target of incinerating 60% of MBM produced by 31 March 2002, and is making good progress towards the second target of incinerating at least 85% of MBM produced by 31 March 2004.Tallow arisings are also being incinerated and the large-scale disposal of tallow stocks will commence in the new year.

Nine thousand nine hundred and twenty-six carcases, which equate to approximately 5,000 tonnes, have been incinerated in Scotland out of a total of 179,608 in the UK. The carcases of bovines identified on-farm as showing clinical signs of BSE are incinerated at two sites in Scotland, under contract with the Scottish Agricultural College. Contractual terms are not released on the grounds of commercial confidentiality.

The material is incinerated with energy recovery. The Rural Payments Agency has contracts in place for this work with three companies.