Chamber and committees

A list of extant European legislation, including that relating to fisheries, can be found in the Directory of Community Legislation in Force, published by the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. There is also a Commission database of Regulations (EUR-Lex) available on the internet.

A list of the main domestic fisheries acts and orders is set out in the annual report and accounts of the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency. The most recent version was published and laid before the Scottish Parliament, and copies were sent to Members of the Scottish Parliament, in July this year. Various aspects of fisheries are also subject to administrative rules and arrangements.Regulations are proposed to give effect in Scotland to obligations arising out of recent Community legislation on fisheries control arrangements, satellite monitoring and technical conservation measures; and for fish conservation and quota management purposes. These will be subject to appropriate Parliamentary procedure.

The Executive's policy on the location and relocation of public service jobs was set out in my reply of 15 September to Question from Duncan McNeil. My reply made clear that where new units or agencies are set up there will be a presumption against an Edinburgh location. Other relocation options outwith Edinburgh will be considered when appropriate opportunities arise. Costs in all cases will be taken into account in deciding on location, along with operational effectiveness and impact on the staff concerned.

Documentation which the Rural Affairs Department requires farmers to complete in order to comply with legislation relates to statistical surveys. The main survey is the agricultural and horticultural census carried out annually in June. Several other sample surveys are carried out for specific sectoral interests.

There are a number of schemes under which the farmer can apply to the Rural Affairs Department for grants and subsidy. Each scheme usually has its own explanatory booklet and forms. An overview of the schemes and material is given in the Scottish Agriculture - A guide to Grants and Services booklet.The Department aims to minimise the bureaucratic burden on Scotland's producers. As part of this process, an external review panel of farmers and crofters has recently been examining the form-filling burden on the industry. This panel is due to produce a report on their findings soon.

The Executive is committed to help in the creation of a strong and sustainable agriculture industry. This will benefit farmers of all ages and give an incentive to young people to continue the family farming tradition.

The Executive's aim is to help create a strong and sustainable agriculture industry which will prove attractive to potential new entrants.The concept of financial incentives to encourage new entrants into farming received little support during a public consultation exercise earlier this year when it formed part of a package of possible measures under the Agenda 2000 CAP reform agreement. Although we have no plans to introduce such a measure, the land reform proposal to create new limited duration tenancies should have the effect of increasing the availability of farms to let, thus opening up additional opportunities for new entrants to get into farming.

We consult as widely as possible when planning new administrative and legislative measures and make every reasonable effort to ensure that those likely to be directly affected by a proposal, in this case tenant farmers, have an opportunity to give their views. We handle each consultation in a way that best suits its circumstances.

Air support and surveillance are operational issues and therefore matters for Chief Constables. The Scottish Executive does not provide resources specifically for air support or surveillance.

There are a number of beach survey schemes which are used to convey the standards of beaches to the public. Among these are the European Blue Flag, and the Seaside Award both of which are co-ordinated by Keep Scotland Beautiful. The Marine Conservation Society also publishes the Good Beach Guide.We are committed to improving Scotland's beaches and have had initial discussions with relevant parties. My officials plan further discussions involving local authority representatives and the organisations mentioned above. These discussions can be used to inform local authorities on the various requirements of organisations.

As the Civil Service Code applies to officials of Scottish Trade International, requests for contact should go through the Office of the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning. This is in accordance with the procedure relating to all officials to whom the Code applies.

Action to assist shipbuilders in the UK is being developed through a UK-wide Shipbuilding Forum chaired by the Department of Trade and Industry, and in consultation with industry and trade union representatives. The Scottish Executive is represented at this Forum. Improvements have already been made in support for the mortgage financing of new vessels, and the industry is also being provided with support to help enhance its competitiveness through benchmarking audits.The Scottish Executive chairs a Scottish Shipbuilding Forum consisting of industry, trade union and public sector organisations which help ensure that specific Scottish considerations are fed into the UK Forum.