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Targets for the headline indicators are included in the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions documents A Better Quality of Life, published in May 1999, and the supplementary report Quality of Life Counts, prepared by the Government Statistical Service, published in December 1999. None of the targets stated are for Scotland separately although reference is made that Scottish targets may be found in other documents.

The Scottish Executive have provided no data to the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions on the attainment of targets set out in their documents A Better Quality of Life or Quality of Life Counts.

The Scottish Executive has already implemented many of the recommendations of the report by the Scottish IACS Red Tape Review Panel and is currently considering the timetable for implementing the remaining recommendations.

Details of the number of successful Agricultural Business Improvement Scheme (ABIS) applications are not readily available by parliamentary constituency. The information is held on an agricultural parish and Departmental Area Office basis, and is summarised below.

	No of Approvals	Approved Grant (£)
Shetland	72	340,990.99
Orkney	1,466	3,684,295.22
Northern	981	2,676,580.30
Highland (mainland)	1,164	4,507,743.33
Skye	36	262,153.60
Western Isles	3	4,812.97
Grampian	353	702,510.13
Argyll & Islands	982	3,183,891.90
Arran, Bute & Cumbrae	270	941,893.51
Totals	5,327	16,304,871.95

The document A Better Quality of Life, published before devolution, makes it clear that sustainable development is a devolved matter which it is for the Scottish Executive to take forward reflecting Scottish institutions, landscape, culture and way of life.

The Ministerial Group on Sustainable Scotland, which I chair, has begun work on indicators which will reflect Scottish life and the priorities for sustainable development which I outlined to the Scottish Parliament on 3 February. In that work, the indicators mentioned in A Better Quality of Life may provide a useful reference but there are no plans for monitoring them.

The Ministerial Group on Sustainable Scotland, which I chair, has started work on the development of indicators of sustainable development for Scotland. A research contract will be let shortly to examine existing good practice in Scotland, to compare that with the best across the world and to propose a paper to open discussion across Scotland. It is hoped to produce, by the autumn, a set of indicators of practical value for trial in the next financial year.

Ministers meet the management of Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) from time to time to discuss a variety of issues. The last meeting was in July last year when operational matters were discussed. Scottish Executive officials also meet HIAL's management regularly to discuss financial and operational matters, as well as through the presence of an assessor at Board meetings.

In formulating transport policy, the Scottish Executive takes account of the National Road Traffic Forecasts (Great Britain) 1997 amongst a range of other considerations. The NRTF is produced by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, and provides the latest forecasts of the projected growth in the volume of motor traffic on roads in Great Britain until the year 2031. This forecast shows an estimated growth in traffic levels from 1996 to 2011 of 28% and from 1996 to 2021 of 46% based on the capacity of the current road network, current policies and current behaviour. The NRTF figures are available for Great Britain but cannot be robustly broken down for Scotland.The NRTF is currently being up-dated and revised by DETR with assistance from the Executive. The revised figures will provide more localised results. They are expected to be available later in the year.

There have been two Public Transport Fund competitions held to date. In the first competition, for projects commencing in 1999-2000, 17 bids were received with 12 awarded funding. 26 bids were received in the second competition for projects commencing in 2000-2001 of which 21 have been awarded funding. Details of a third competition for projects commencing in 2001-02 will be issued to local authorities shortly and the level of funding available will be considered as part of the forthcoming spending review.

The National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations has been under review since early 1997 with extensive consultation conducted through a Consultative Forum of interested parties, including Scottish local authorities. The Forum completed its consideration of the final draft on 8 November and Lord Macdonald, Minister for Transport, has written to me on the matter. A copy of the Plan will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre in due course.

The Scottish Executive is firmly committed to the promotion of renewable energy, which is an executively devolved matter. This policy takes account of the contribution which renewable energy can make to climate change mitigation, as well as the economic benefits of renewable energy projects themselves and the economic development opportunities that these technologies may bring to Scotland.