Chamber and committees

There are no plans to introduce end-product testing as the sole precondition for allowing scallops to enter the market.

There have been no recalls of scallops by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) due to samples failing end product testing. In the event that a commercially processed product fails end-product testing, it is the responsibility of the producer to ensure that products which could pose a danger to public health are not placed on the market. The FSA are not informed of the results.

The Scottish Executive is committed to integrating the principles of environmentally and socially sustainable development into all its policies. In pursuit of this commitment, we have let a consultancy to develop proposals for a set of sustainable development indicators covering waste, energy and travel, relevant to Scotland's distinctive environment. The indicators will help focus on specific actions and on measuring their effectiveness. They may also be important in applying strategic environmental assessment, stemming form a proposed EC Directive, now in final form. The cost of the consultancy is about £27,000. No further spend on consultancies on sustainable development indicators is planned. If the Executive decides to proceed with the development of indicators, there will be costs associated with data collection and dissemination. It is too early to say now what those costs would be.

The Scottish Executive also let this month a contract for about £20,000 for a scoping study to review the experience of strategic environmental assessment in other countries and consider how to apply it to Executive programmes. A key objective is to increase public participation in the process. We will consider carefully how to inform the public about the issues surrounding the application of strategic environmental assessment.

The powers of direction granted by section 11 of the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991 and section 9 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 have never been used.

The lifeline air routes on which public service obligations have been imposed are as follows:

Glasgow-Campbeltown-Tiree

Glasgow-Barra

Stornoway-Benbecula-Barra

Kirkwall-North Ronaldsay

Kirkwall-Papa Westray

Tingwall-Foula

Tingwall-Papa Stour

Tingwall-Out Skerries

Tingwall/Sumburgh-Fair Isle

It is for local authorities to consider whether public service obligations (PSOs) should be imposed on any air routes and to approach the Scottish Executive with economically and socially necessary cases for new PSOs in accordance with the criteria contained within EC Regulation 2408/92. The Scottish Executive has not made, and has no plans to make, representations to the European Commission in respect of new PSOs on any air routes.

There are a variety of categories of public bodies including Executive, Advisory and Tribunal Non-Departmental Public Bodies, NHS Bodies, state-owned companies and public corporations. They operate at various levels of delegated responsibility, including the way in which they use consultancy services. Information on the use of these services is not held centrally.

Spending decisions are for the agencies concerned.

Estimates of net migration in the 18 to 30 age-group for the Highlands and Islands consistent with the Registrar General's mid-year estimates of population are given in the table below.

Net migration for Highlands and Islands; 1996-1999

	Year ending 30 June
Council Area	1996	1997	1998	1999
Highland	-710	-860	-930	-730
Orkney Islands	-90	-70	-150	-50
Shetland Islands	-70	-80	-110	-120
Eilean Siar	-160	-330	-210	-200
Total	-1030	-1340	-1400	-1100

Notes:

1. A negative figure indicates net outward migration.

2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

No.

The process of designating Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) is not yet complete and it is not possible, therefore, to provide the detailed costs requested.

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) are currently engaged in a programme of consultations on behalf of Scottish Ministers on a further 90 proposed SACs. In accordance with existing policy, sites proposed under European nature conservation directives are normally protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as Sites Of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Where appropriate, the SSSI notification process, including consultation with affected parties, takes place at the same time as SAC consultation to avoid duplication of effort by SNH.

The cost of notifying and consulting on a potential SSSI or SAC varies enormously according to the size of the site, the number of consultees and possible reference, in the case of SSSIs, to the Advisory Committee on SSSIs. An average figure is, therefore, meaningless.