Chamber and committees

The measure of traffic flow ontrunk roads is the Annual Average Daily Flow (AADF). The AADF for key points on each single carriageway trunk road is listedin the following table:

Location	Annual Average Daily Traffic Flow 2005
A737 Lochside	22,638
A738 Kilwinning - Stevenston	18,682
A977 Kincardine	15,184
A876 Kincardine to B9037	14,898
A985 High Valleyfield	10,767
A96 Forres	10,229
A702 Fulford	9,901
A84 Doune	9,631
A737 Dalry-Kilwinning	9,265
A68 Pathhead	9,207
A78 60m South of Hunterston Round about	9,108
A701 Locharbriggs	8,441
A6091 Melrose	8,429
A9 Tomatin	8,368
A1 Grantshouse	8,255
A75 Southeast of A751	6,256
A68 Jedburgh	6,023
A9 Dornoch	5,461
A82 Spean Bridge	5,075
A87 Broadford	4,976
A82 Ballachulish	4,879
A75 Carsluith	4,820
A7 Langholm	3,576
A87 Kyle of Lochalsh	3,383
A85 Loch Awe	3,223
A77 Glen App	3,170
A76 Mennock	3,136
A83 Ardrishaig	2,805
A95 Ballindalloch	1,994
A9 Berridale	1,950
A99 Latheron	1,942
A828 Creagan Bridge	1,902
A835 Aultguish	1,610
A751 SE of A77	1,443
A86 Roy Bridge	1,256
A830 Lochailort	1,140
A887 Invermoriston to Bunlayne	963
A889 Dalwhinnie	679

Note: Annual average daily traffic flows measured over sevenconsecutive days.

Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more informationif required.

The Scottish Executivepublished its strategy for the longer term sustainability of Scotland’smarine and coastal environment, Seas the Opportunity, in September 2005.That strategy is being taken forward by an Advisory Group which is consideringwhether any further measures in relation to the marine environment arenecessary. I am expecting that group to report towards the end of the year. Thestrategy, and any new measures resulting from it, builds on the Executive’ssolid track record of initiatives designed to improve the ways in which wemanage activity in our coasts and seas. These include:

launching the Scottish Sustainable Marine Environment Initiative in 2002 to test better waysof managing marine and coastal activity, including marine  spatial planning, througha series of pilot projects now under way around the country;

applying waterquality and environmental standards out to three miles from the coast around Scotland through the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003;

charging the Scottish Biodiversity Forum with developing proposals for astrategy to protect and enhance Scotland’sbiodiversity. That strategy was published in 2004 and has led to a specificmarine biodiversity implementation plan which is being taken forward now;

consulting onthe best strategy to protect and enhance all of Scotland’s coastline, includingthe options for a coastal and marine national park in 2004,  followed up lastJune by commissioning Scottish Natural Heritage to report on the potential forScotland’s first coastal and marine national park. That report was received inMarch 2006 and I will be announcing a further round of consultation oncandidate sites in due course;

breaking newground by placing a biodiversity duty on pubic bodies in the NatureConservation (Scotland) Act 2004. That duty extends to marinebiodiversity;

working with theother home countries since 2004 on a fundamental review of the UK legislation that protects historic wrecks and other maritimeheritage;

publishing specificstrategies in 2005 on both inshore and sea fisheries management, emphasisingthe relationship between environmental, industry and community sustainability.Action plans under those strategies are being developed now and I launched thefisheries action plan on 26 September;

bringing forwardthe Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 to broaden the scope ofstrategic environmental assessments, including in marine areas, beyond thespecific requirements of the relevant European Directive, and

instigating a marine-focussedenvironmental assessment in 2005 to gauge the likely impacts, on theenvironment and other users,  of future wave and tidal energy devices aroundthe coast of Scotland.

And this yearrevisiting our bathing waters strategy to provide an action plan for thefurther improvement of Scotland’s beaches; and investing £650,000 in a hi-techtidal underwater turbine demonstrator on Orkney as part of our drive to makeScotland a world marine energy powerhouse - contributing to our continuedefforts to tackle climate change.

I was impressed by the thoroughassessment of transport facts and figures which were presented during my visit toElgin. I am keen for Transport Scotland to work closely with Moray Council on the analyses oftheir work to help inform future decisions on road improvements in the Elgin area.

Information on recycling ratesfor household waste and municipal waste is available from both the Scottish Executive’sKey Scottish Environmental Statistics 2006website http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/08/15095714/30and the Scottish Environment Statistics Online website:http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Environment/seso/sesoSubSearch/Q/SID/191.

Data used in the Key ScottishEnvironmental Statistics 2006 and the Scottish Environment Statistics Online isobtained from Audit Scotland.

The Scottish Environment ProtectionAgency (SEPA) also produces data on municipal waste which is available on the SEPAwebsite, http://www.sepa.org.uk/nws/data/data_digest.htm.

We have an all-Scotland targetof 25% recycling and composting of municipal waste by 2006 and 30% by 2008.

I regret that the Environmentand Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD) does not capture information on the statusof those entering agriculture in any detail that would allow a complete answer tothe question. Nevertheless, following the convention that where proxy informationis available it should be supplied, my officials have sourced the following fromsuccessful New Entrant applications to the National Reserve of the Single Farm PaymentScheme

Under the National Reserve, toqualify as a New Entrant a business must meet the following criteria: they had enteredan approved sector in the period 1 January 2003 to 2 November 2004 and had not, intheir own name or at their own risk, been involved in agriculture in the previousfive-year period prior to their application.

In 2005, 303 businesses wereapproved as New Entrants and this equates to 1.41% of the average number of allfarm businesses registering with SEERAD over the period of the Single Farm PaymentScheme to date.

Details of all regulated publicappointments (including terms of appointment and remuneration) are published onthe Executive’s Public Bodies website at:http://194.247.95.101/Topics/Government/public-bodies/public-appointments.

Information on time commitmentis not held centrally.

The Commissioner for Public Appointmentsin Scotland took office on 1 June 2004 andformally introduced the first Code of Practice for the public appointments processin Scotland on 1 April 2006. Prior to then, the commissioner had adopted as an interimmeasure the Code of Practice used by her predecessor, the UK Commissioner for PublicAppointments.

This information is not heldcentrally.

The Scottish Public ServicesOmbudsman (SPSO) is independent of Scottish ministers. Responsibility for the monitoringand enforcement of SPSO recommendations rests with that office-holder,exercising as necessary the powers provided for in the Scottish Public ServicesOmbudsman Act 2002. There are no plans for change in this regard.

The Executive’s Scottish ProcurementDirectorate (SPD) has awarded three contracts which are still in operation for callcentre services; the telephone helpline service contract based in Glasgow, thesmoke free compliance line based in Irvine and the contract for handling public appointments basedin Glasgow.

The pilot for the 24 hour ChildProtection Line was completed in July, and therefore no contract is currently inplace. However, a re-tendering exercise is in its early stages and the contractis anticipated to commence in April 2007.

The SPD does not hold detailsof any other call centre contracts held by other departments in the Scottish Executiveand therefore this information could only provide this information at disproportionatecost.

It is not possible to estimatehow many contracts may be awarded in the future.

The Executive holds no informationon plans for a UK national water grid and has not been involved in anydiscussion on this issue.