Seòmar agus comataidhean

I see no reason why responsible canoeists and angling should not be able to co-exist on the same stretch of water. I understand that the current voluntary code relating to canoeing and angling works well and this will be reinforced by guidance in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Section 6(f)(ii) of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill excludes from access rights land developed or set out for a particular recreational purpose while in use for that purpose. It applies to rivers navigable by canoe but is not intended to permit fishermen to prohibit canoeists from exercising access rights in relation to a river when fishing is under way. I accept, however, that the provision as presently drafted may in some cases be legitimately used for that purpose. For example, the construction of pools in a river bed for the purpose of fisheries management would be caught by that provision and fishermen could claim that access rights are not exercisable in relation to any such river when fishing is under way. That is not our policy. Amendment 153 to the bill seeks to address this issue and we have indicated that we would be content to accept it. This amendment would have the effect that rivers developed for fishing will not be excluded, under section 6(f), from the responsible exercise of access rights when fishing is taking place.

I wrote to HM Treasury on 9 August 2002 asking for further consideration to be given to the tax charge applicable in respect the ex-gratia payments. I await a reply.Where the principal beneficiary died on or after 18 December 2000, but before a payment is made, a full payment will be made to the widow or widower, or estate. Unmarried partners of deceased former members will also receive the full payment, subject to appropriate evidence that the relationship constituted a marriage by habit or repute.

There have been no prosecutions under section 272 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997.

The Scottish Public Pensions Agency began making payments on 31 August 2002.

I announced on 12 August 2002 that an additional £8 million had been secured by Scottish ministers, bringing the total amount to be distributed to £126 million, and that letters were being sent to eligible former Scottish Transport pension scheme members to initiate the payment process.

I refer the member to my letter to the Convener of the Scottish Public Petitions Committee dated 9 August 2002, a copy of which I understand has been sent to the member.

An initial payment representing most of the overall total will be made to identified beneficiaries this financial year, with the remaining amount paid in the next financial year once the details of all those who are eligible are known.

All GPs are eligible for an annual payment (currently £2,510) for providing out of hours services and for a night visit fee (currently £25.10) for each face to face consultation carried out between the hours of 10pm and 8am. These fees and allowances are prescribed in the Statement of Fees and Allowances payable to GPs and are paid from the NHS Board's General Medical Services demand-led budget. In addition, NHS Island Boards and Primary Care Trusts assist in the provision of out of hours services in their area by providing funding from the Out of Hours Development Fund. The fund forms part of the overall cash limited budget given to boards each year. The following table provides a breakdown of each area's expenditure on out-of-hours services from the development fund over the last three years. The table also shows the estimated expenditure for the current year. Information on the estimated costs for the next two years is not available.Breakdown of NHS Board Expenditure On Out Of Hours Provision

Primary Care Trust/ Island NHS Board	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03Forecast Expenditure
Argyll and Clyde	510,890	584,508	543,384	522,000
Ayrshire and Arran	750,490	747,075	819,289	792,058
Borders	192,342	215,650	226,841	243,009
Dumfries and Galloway	320,784	377,615	426,766	374,932
Fife	353,767	410,455	421,900	437,000
Forth Valley	297,592	303,419	370,084	334,000
Grampian	555,530	611,709	708,455	732,000
Greater Glasgow	1,803,000	1,496,188	1,531,000	1,567,000
Highland	343,508	406,386	429,841	305,000
Lanarkshire	496,384	507,019	511,740	567,000
Lothian	1,506,791	1,549,537	1,669,086	1,645,645
Orkney NHS Board	35,411	43,567	33,395	41,000
Shetland NHS Board	23,944	22,782	23,272	29,000
Tayside	404,794	459,181	520,727	549,600
Western Isles NHS Board	54,265	45,500	47,000	47,000
Scotland Total	7,649,492	7,780,591	8,282,780	8,186,244

Sportscotland does not recognise the annual match between the shinty players of Scotland and the hurlers of Ireland as there is no international federation for shinty under whose auspices international competitions can take place. This is a matter for sportscotland and the Executive has no plans to intervene.

No such approval has been given.