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The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Scotland) Regulations 1990 require random samples to be taken from household dietetic taps within each water supply zone. Where lead is detected in a tap sample, in breach of the current regulatory requirement, the householder is notified and advised of the measures that they can take to reduce the risk to their health from lead.

Despite the tighter lead standard in the new Drinking Water Directive, if non-compliance with the standard is due to domestic plumbing then a failure to meet the standard will not be considered to be a breach of the Directive. Consumers and property ownners must be alerted to the risk but it is not practical to require them to replace their lead plumbing. This is not the case with public buildings such as schools, hospitals and restaurants. Public buildings must fully comply with the Directive. Any failure to meet the lead standard in a public building as a result of lead plumbing will require the plumbing system to be replaced.

There are no public water supply mains of lead construction. Historically, lead pipes were only used for internal plumbing or for service pipes connecting properties to the main in the street.

The new Drinking Water Directive tightens the standard for lead in drinking water and requires that member states take all appropriate measures to reduce the concentration of lead in the water as a result of lead plumbing or service pipes. To achieve this goal the water authorities are about to carry out a lead sampling programme to help them identify properties that have lead plumbing and service pipes. The results of the sampling programme will enable the authorities to target areas that would benefit from measures to reduce the uptake of lead from pipework. Many areas already have such measures in place but it is likely that further areas will be identified. The results of the sampling programme will also provide a good estimate of the percentage and number of households with lead plumbing.

Midlothian Council were awarded £802,000 additional capital consent from the second round of the Scottish Executive's Public Transport Fund towards the cost of a bridge to take cyclists and pedestrians across the Edinburgh City Bypass at Sheriffhall. The allocation of this additional capital consent, of which £600,000 has been issued to the council, relates to financial year 2000-01.

The original solum of the Waverley Line, proposed by consultants as the most appropriate location for its reinstatement to link with the existing track at Millerhill, meets the City Bypass approximately 500 metres from the preferred location for the pedestrian crossing. Each project presents very different technical challenges. It will be open to the relevant councils to consider whether project development requirements for the reinstatement of the Borders Railway meet the criteria set out in the Public Transport Fund.

The information available is shown below. The first table shows the average daily flow of Heavy Goods Vehicles over a seven-day week in September of each year.

Location (1)	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Bridge of Don	Na (2)	1102	na	1445	1415	1477	1509	1448
Cruden Bay	615	684	727	669	na	778	940	773
Inverugie	400	319	321	324	358	390	422	353

Notes:1. Automated traffic counters have been located here since 1992 or 1993.2. n/a - figure not available.Consistent expenditure information is only available for the last three completed financial years and is shown in the table.

1996-97	1997-98	1998-99
£1.957 million	£2.015 million	£2.577 million

Notes: Figures include major improvement scheme preparation, capital expenditure on bridge maintenance, accident investigation and prevention and minor improvements and revenue expenditure on routine cyclical and winter maintenance.In addition, since 1974 major improvement schemes at Fountainbleau, Auchenten, Hatton, Murcar-Balmedie and Ellon and numerous minor improvement schemes have been implemented.

The Scottish Executive is fully complying with European Community legislative procedures for public procurement.

The cost of fuel for vehicles for the ambulance service for each year since 1997 is detailed below.

Year	Cost (£million)
1997-98	£2.77
1998-99	£2.85
1999-2000	£3.21

This is a commercial venture and its success will be dependent upon demand for the service. Before NETCo can proceed it will have to secure the appropriate parliamentary powers and permissions.

Scottish Executive officials met with representatives of NETCo on 10 April to discuss this project. NETCo has emphasised that the project's initial phase would not require public funding.

The Scottish Executive intends to organise an awareness seminar or seminars, similar to those being run by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, on school travel as a follow up to the guidance I launched in December on How to Run Safer Routes to School.

Relations with EU institutions are a reserved matter, responsibility for which lies with the UK Government. Representations to the EU institutions on issues such as GMOs are made on the basis of a common UK line which is developed with the full involvement of the devolved administrations.

It is for each local authority and the SPTA to put forward bids to the Public Transport Fund and so far 9 rail-related projects are receiving support. At the start of each project the local authority must prepare an Action Plan setting out how it proposes to implement the project for which it is responsible and provide regular updates throughout the funding period to demonstrate how the plans are progressing.

The shadow Strategic Rail Authority administers the Rail Passenger Partnership scheme, designed to encourage improvements in the rail network. The Scottish Executive is consulted on applications from Scotland.