Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Ministerial Objectives for the period 2010-15 were published on the 27 October 2009 and are available on the government''s website at:

www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/waterindustryscot/latest-news/swdirections.

The Ministerial Objectives for Scottish Water for the period 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2014 were originally set following a public consultation by the previous administration in 2005. Minor alterations have been made to those original Objectives to reflect the requirements of new legislation and improved data. Stakeholders were consulted in July 2008 on these amendments.

External flooding can be caused by insufficient capacity of the sewers to take the required volumes of sewerage or by operational issues such as blockages. In 2008-09, Scottish Water removed over 6,000 blockages, many of which were caused by customers disposing (illegally) of cooking fat down their sink or by flushing away sanitary waste. In most cases, instances of external flooding due to blockages are resolved through operational measures. For capacity issues, Scottish Water deals with some external sewer flooding as a consequence of investing to address internal flooding problems. In addition, where possible, Scottish Water speaks to local authorities about external sewer flooding when there are issues of surface water entering the sewers, as there can be practicable alternatives which divert this water away from the sewers in a safe manner.

Scottish Agricultural College review the work done at Thurso Disease Surveillance Centre on a quarterly basis. There have been significant year to year fluctuations that are related to market prices for cattle and sheep, the weather and the decline in livestock numbers which has been a particular concern in the north of Scotland.

For comparable periods January to September from 2006 to 2009 there has been downward trend in the number of carcases submitted for post mortem examination. The figures for clinical diagnostic submissions are more erratic but numbers and income are up from £28,620 in January to September 2008 to £39,920 for the same period in 2009.

A formal review of veterinary surveillance in Scotland has not yet begun. We are in the process of actively recruiting an independent person of suitable stature to chair a review panel.

A formal review of veterinary surveillance in Scotland has not yet begun. Once the review is underway a wide range of interested parties including the farmers and veterinary practices in Orkney and Caithness will have the opportunity of making their views known to the review panel.

There is no contract between Scottish Government and Scottish Agricultural College for this work. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28511 on 10 November 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The funding provided by Scottish Government to support veterinary surveillance activities at Scottish Agricultural College is in the form of an annual grant. Whether or not the grant is renewed each year is entirely a decision for Scottish Government.

There is no contract between Scottish Government and Scottish Agricultural College which regulates animal health surveillance activities. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28511 on 10 November 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The surveillance work carried out by Scottish Agricultural College is partly led by the demand for laboratory investigation from farmers and veterinary surgeons. There are no regional targets set. Disease surveillance activities carried out by Scottish Agricultural College are monitored through a system of formal monthly, quarterly and annual reports and twice yearly formal meetings between Scottish Government and Scottish Agricultural College staff. These formal arrangements are supplemented by frequent ad hoc reports and meetings.

The objective mesh gauge (Omega) was initially developed in an EU-sponsored research project, the Omega project. The partners in the project included fisheries inspection services and fisheries research institutes from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Scotland. Fisheries research institutes from EU member countries and ICES member countries, as well as Turkey, the North Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), netting manufacturers and fishermen were involved in testing and evaluating the Omega gauge. Extensive trials were carried out under both laboratory conditions and at sea.

The Scottish Government hopes to be in a position to announce the exchanges to be upgraded and indicative timescales by the end of this year. Further information will be posted on our website, in due course, at www.broadbandforscotland.co.uk.