Chamber and committees

This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

There is no comprehensive monitoring of water abstraction levels in Scotland at present. We will be required to introduce such a system in order to implement the EC Water Framework Directive. However, there is already some monitoring as follows:

• the Scottish Environment Protection Agency monitors river flows and abstraction levels in certain areas for example where there is particular pressure from abstraction for aquaculture or irrigation;

• information on amounts of water supplied for public use is collected from the water authorities by the Scottish Executive. Details may be found in the Executive's annual report on water resources copies of which are available from the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. no.'s 13378, 13380 and 13372), and

any licensed hydro-electricity generator granted an Acquisition of Water Rights Order under the Electricity Act 1989 is responsible for monitoring the level of water diverted through its generating system.

We will base our policy for the implementation of the EC Water Framework Directive on, amongst other things, an assessment of the impacts of human activities on the water environment and of the economic and social impact of any controls.

The statement was based on advice from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. An assessment of the environmental effects of water abstractions by industry and agriculture is set out in the agency's State of the Environment report, Improving Scotland's Water Environment, which was published in 1999. A copy is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. no. 2964).

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-15399 on 10 May 2001.

We will seek the views of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on our proposals for the implementation of the EC Water Framework Directive as part of the consultation process.

We are not persuaded that an independent inquiry into the environmental impact of sea cage fish farming would be the best way to proceed at this time. We have already identified the issues and are committed to driving forward the initiatives we have taken to address them. An inquiry would only divert effort. That said, if the Parliament were itself to mount an inquiry, as it was invited to do, my officials would offer it full assistance.

As announced on 1 May 2001, £2.4 million has been included in the NHSScotland capital investment plan for an upgrade of the Accident & Emergency facilities at Raigmore Hospital.The Scottish Executive recently received the final proposal from Highlands Acute NHS Trust and it is currently being considered.

The tender documents did not specify the type and number of plant which contractors have to provide for winter maintenance. The contractors are bound to meet the specification for the level of service set out in the contract. The Executive required bidders to declare, as part of their tenders, the minimum plant which they proposed to provide, where the proposed depots would be situated and the details of proposed gritting routes so that an assessment could be made of whether the service level could be met. The contracts require the declared plant to be provided, but the provision of that plant does not absolve the companies from the requirement to meet the specification for service level and the resource level necessary to achieve the specification. Snow ploughs and blowers will be provided in each of the new units.

The costs incurred to the award of the contracts are:

Assigned internal costs	£437,252
Seconded engineering staff	£342,384
Review and Audit costs	£134,613
Total	£914,249

The anticipated future annual costs relating to the supervision of the contracts are:

Assigned internal costs	£1.160 million
Seconded engineering staff	£0.476 million
Performance Audit Group	£1.533 million
Total	£3.169 million

In each case the figures are inclusive of VAT which has been or will be due to be paid.