Seòmar agus comataidhean

Recent engineers' reports for Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) identified that the substrate of the main runway at Wick Airport had deteriorated more rapidly than had been anticipated. In addition, HIAL is also faced with implementing additional regulatory requirements which need to be accommodated if current operational standards are to be maintained. The financial implications of these were the subject of discussions between the company and the Scottish Executive. On 30 May, I announced additional funding to the company of £2 million to ensure the resurfacing work of the main runway in the current financial year.

Negotiations between Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the developers are at an advanced stage. An announcement will be made as soon as all outstanding matters have been concluded.

The Executive is considering how the current range of options for non-custodial sentences for young offenders might be developed as part of the present Review of Youth Crime. The possibility of funding the Venture Trust at Applecross, to provide programmes that could be used to support probation and other community disposals, is one of the options under consideration.

There are no Bills of Advocation on these grounds outstanding. However, at present there are 75 pending Bills of Suspension before the Criminal Appeal Court in respect of matters arising from the earlier decision in the case of Starrs v. Ruxton relating to whether temporary Sheriffs constituted an impartial and independent tribunal.

A sample of test cases have been selected as being representative of the outstanding matters raised by these cases and these will be heard on 29 and 30 June 2000. It is hoped that by allowing the court to consider a variety of situations, it will enable authoritative decisions to be reached which would guide the consideration of the remaining cases.

There are seven members of the Board of Cromarty Firth Port Authority namely;

Mr Peter Grant, CBE (Chairman)

Mr Roy MacGregor

Mr Allan Whiteford

Mrs Val MacIver

Mr Alexander MacKenzie

Mr Jamie Stone MSP

Mr Rod Johnstone, Chief Executive

Mr Rod Johnstone, the Chief Executive was co-opted to the Board following the resignation of Mr Tony Knight on 7 January 2000.

As with all civil legal aid applications, the board will grant civil legal aid for an interdict under the Matrimonial Homes (Family Protection) (Scotland) Act 1981 if the application satisfies three statutory tests. The tests are financial eligibility, probable cause of action and reasonableness.

The board does not maintain a full separate record of civil legal aid applications for interdict under the 1981 Act.

I am today publishing a review and consultation document, Protecting and Promoting Scotland's Freshwater Fish and Fisheries, produced jointly by the Scottish Executive and Scottish Natural Heritage.

The review covers the key issues affecting Scottish freshwater fish, including other species as well as salmon and trout and the consultation poses questions about the conservation of fish stocks, the management of rivers and access to fishing opportunities.

I hope that this review will promote widespread discussion about these issues, and that it will lead to the development of a new strategy for freshwater fisheries in Scotland.

Copies of the review and consultation document have been placed in SPICe.

The organisation and structure of school library services are matters for the individual local authorities. We recognise the contribution school librarians can make to the delivery of the education service in a number of ways, including their skills in the area of information technology. School librarians in Scotland are being offered training in the use of Information and Communications Technology as part of a £23 million programme supported by the New Opportunities Fund, a National Lottery distribution body.

I am very conscious of the concerns which arise when, more often than not as a result of severe weather conditions, escapes occur from fish farms.

A small group, chaired by the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department, and involving representatives of wild fish interests and the aquaculture industry has been reviewing the matter and I shall be issuing today its report for public comment. The report stresses the importance of preventative measures, of improving reporting arrangements, and of having in place mechanisms for recapturing the escaped fish where this is deemed appropriate.

Copies of the report have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

The Scottish Executive, together with the UK Government, is committed to dealing with the remaining liabilities at Dounreay safely and securely, in an environmentally acceptable manner, and in a way that represents value for money to the taxpayer. In order to achieve the long-term restoration of the site, a solution needs to be found to deal with the remaining fuels, including PFR fuels.

As announced by Donald Dewar and John Battle in 1998, no new commercial reprocessing contracts have been sought by Dounreay since that date and this will continue to be the case.

Following a comprehensive review of options for managing Dounreay PFR fuels, the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has identified three options:

• the reprocessing or treatment of all PFR fuels at Dounreay;
• the transportation to Sellafield for reprocessing of the irradiated PFR fuels at the THORP plant and the treatment of unirradiated PFR fuels at Dounreay or elsewhere;
• the treatment of all PFR fuels for interim storage at Dounreay for an indefinite period or until a national waste repository is available.

The UK Government has today launched a public consultation addressing the options for managing these fuels. The consultation will close on 2 June and the results will be made available to the public.