Seòmar agus comataidhean

Advertising is a reserved matter,dealt with by the Advertising Standards Authority. The AdvertisingStandards Authority enforcesthe existing Advertising Standards Codes.

Please see the Advertising StandardsAuthority details as follows:

Advertising Standards Authority

Mid City Place

71 High Holborn

London

WC1V 6QT

Telephone: 020 7492 2222

Fax: 020 7242 3696

Textphone: 020 7242 8159

Website: http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/.

Information relating to the ScottishExecutive representation about the content of advertising as a result of any concernsis not held centrally.

The Scottish Executive has nothad any meetings, nor are any meetings planned with any companies or organisationsin relation to the manufacture or supply of genetically modified food products.

Information on urban green spaceis not held centrally.

Estimates of net revenue fromincome tax are included in the Scottish Executive publication Government Expenditure& Revenue in Scotland 2003-04 (Table 6.8). Data is available for each yearbetween 1999-2000 and 2003-04. The methodology used to obtain these figures is alsoset out in this publication (appendix B).

Receipts Components for Scotland, 1999-2000to 2003-04.

Year	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04
Income Tax (Excluding Tax Credits)
£ Million	6,570	7,360	7,670	7,880	8,340
Share of UK	7.0%	7.0%	7.1%	7.2%	7.3%

 

The Scottish Executive’s RouteDevelopment Fund (RDF) is to provide funding for a new air service between Sumburghand the Faroe Islands which will operate twice weekly from 23 June until 30 October 2006. Thiswill link with direct connections to the Scottish mainland. There is an existingair service between the Faroe Islands and Aberdeen.

The Smyril Line already operatesa passenger and freight ferry service between the Faroes with Shetland, linkingwith NorthLink’s ferry services from Shetland to Kirkwall and Aberdeen.

Information on the cost of motorinsurance for police forces and the fire and rescue authorities is not held centrally.As an agency of the Scottish Executive Justice Department, the Scottish Prison Servicehas Crown immunity in respect of insurance of vehicles. Figures for the motor insurancecosts of the Scottish Ambulance Service are given in the following table.

Motor Insurance Costs of the Scottish Ambulance Service, 2001-02 to 2005-06

Year	Costs (£)
2001-02	508,094
2002-03	623,343
2003-04	691,641
2004-05	784,270
2005-061	258,714

Note: 1. There was a reductionin motor insurance costs for 2005-06 because the Scottish Ambulance Service changedthe way it insured its vehicles.

Information on the fuel costsfor police forces is not held centrally. On the fuel costs of the Fire and Rescueauthorities, I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-25149 on 27 April 2006. Figuresfor the fuel costs of the Scottish Ambulance Service are given in the followingtable. Information on the fuel costs of the Scottish Prison Service was given inthe answer to questions S2W-19101 on 15 September 2005 and S2W-25140 on 11 May 2006.

Fuel Costs of the Scottish AmbulanceService, 2001-02 to 2005-06

Year	Costs (£)
2001-02	3,305,881
2002-03	3,371,815
2003-04	3,924,648
2004-05	4,239,630
2005-06	4,993,965

 

All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Special Branch activity is themain component of the Scottish Police Service’s response to terrorism. Special Branchesare funded mainly from within police Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE). The Lothianand Borders Police share of GAE has risen by £25.6 million (or 16%) overthe past three years to £185.4 million in 2006-07. This will increase furtherin 2007-08 to £195.2 million.

The Executive has also providedincreased levels of 100% funding for a number of specific activities linked to orcomplementary to Special Branch working. These include force Counter-Terrorist SecurityAdvisers, units responsible for co-ordinating the response to threats to nationalsecurity.

Scottish interestsin Ofcom work are represented by reserved statutory mechanisms suchas the Ofcom office in Scotland,Ofcom’s Scottish advisory committee and members on Ofcom’s consumer panel and content board. The Executive works closelywith all parts of Ofcom through regular dialogue on Scottishissues and via responses to key Ofcom consultations.

Lead contamination ofdrinking water arises from old lead pipes. There are no lead pipes in thepublic water supply distribution network. Old lead pipes are still in use as servicepipes (connecting premises to the water main in the street) and as internalplumbing in older buildings. Lead plumbing is generally confined to premisesbuilt before 1964 but the use of lead service pipes continued in some parts of Scotlanduntil 1971.

Scottish Water routinelysamples and tests for lead in accordance with the Water Supply(Water Quality) (Scotland) Regulations 2001. In 2004, 1,810 samples were taken fromconsumers’ taps in Scotland and analysed for lead. Of these, 20 exceeded thestandard of 25 microgrammes per litre. Where the standard was exceeded, theowner/occupier of the building was advised of the risk from lead in drinkingwater and the steps that they could take to minimise that risk.

The three former water authoritiesundertook detailed lead studies between 1999 and 2002 to identify areas whereplumbosolvency control was required at water treatment works. Plumbosolvencycontrol minimises the extent to which lead is dissolved from service pipes andplumbing.

In 2002, the Scottish Centrefor Infection and Environmental Health (now Health Protection Scotland) undertooka study of new homes in Scotland to determine the extent of the illegal use of leadsolder in plumbing in new homes.