Chamber and committees

A formal consultation exercise, as part of the review of the Scottish Climate Change Programme, will be launched before the end of the year.

It is too early to speculate on the implications for Scotland of the proposed climate change communications strategy. However, we are working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in considering recommendations for a UK Government climate change communications campaign, in order to weigh up options for Scotland, including the relationship with the Executive’s existing environmental awareness campaign, Do a little: Change a lot.

The Scottish Executive is in on-going discussion with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFR) on its plans to develop a climate change communications strategy. We are working with Defra in consideringoptions for Scotland stemming from a UK Government climate change communications strategy, including the relationship with the Executive’s existing environmental awareness campaign, Do a little: Change a lot. 

It is too early to say how the activities of the Energy Saving Trust and the Carbon Trust in Scotland might be affected by the proposed UK Government climate change communications strategy. However, we are encouraging Scottish representatives of both bodies to engage with their UK counterparts, who are represented on the project steering group, during the development process.

These varieties have been bred for southern European conditions and have been modified to carry resistance to the European corn-borer; a problem pest in southern Europe, but not in Scotland. They do not, therefore, represent a viable alternative to the varieties already available to Scottish growers. With regard to co-existence, the Executive has made a commitment to introduce statutory measures to enable producers to meet public demand for non-GM produce. The Executive is aiming to introduce these measures in advance of any commercialplanting of GM crops in Scotland and intends to launch a formal consultation later this year.

he Airwave project, which is rolling out a communications infrastructure for use by the emergency services, uses TETRA technology and will involve some 632 sites in Scotland. The Scottish Executive does not hold information on the location of these sites. However, as the sites become operational, information on them will appear on the Ofcom “sitefinder” database at: http://www.sitefinder.radio.gov.uk/.

The results for winter oilseed rape have been written up as scientific papers and submitted to the Proceedings of the Royal Society. The timing of the peer review process and the decision whether or not to publish the papers is at the discretion of the Royal Society. It is our understanding that publication is unlikely before early next year.

The operator of the new ScotRail franchise must maintain at least the current capacity for the carriage of bicycles on trains.

The Scottish Executive has funded the fitting of additional cycle storage racks to all ScotRail Express and ScotRail Suburban Turbostars. Thirty-two units are in service now and 14 will be delivered by spring 2005. These units areto be fitted with a 50% increase in carrying capacity for bicycles compared withexisting rolling stock, increasing bicycle spaces from four to six per train.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-9674 answered on 10 September 2004. All Answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

A thorough investigation into the incidents referred to was undertaken by the Executive’s GM Inspectorate. The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment was also asked for its advice and confirmed that the additional GM elements did not represent an increased risk of harm to human health or the environment. A report of this investigation was produced and submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

Decisions on whether to initiate prosecution proceedings are taken independently by the Procurator Fiscal.