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The financial impact of Aggregates Tax on local authorities will depend on their individual purchasing policies. The aim of the new tax is to promote a change of behaviour amongst purchasers by encouraging the use of recycled aggregates and other alternative materials in place of virgin quarried aggregates. It will have no impact on council tax. The non-domestic rate poundage is set by the Scottish Parliament, and there is no reason for this to change as a consequence of the Aggregates Tax.

The Executive has no plans to introduce a fundamental reform of the law relating to servitude rights, but the proposed Title Conditions (Scotland) Bill contains a number of consequential changes to the law on servitudes as a result of the reform of the law on real burdens. As drafted, the Bill will prevent the future creation of negative servitudes (which are usually restrictions on building for the protection of light or prospect), and will convert the few existing negative servitudes into real burdens. Servitudes which are expressly created by title deeds will have to be registered against both the burdened and the benefited properties. These servitudes which are constituted by registration will also no longer be restricted in type to the list of servitudes currently set out in a rule of law. The Bill will also make it clear that it is possible for a right to lead a pipe, cable or wire over land to be constituted as a positive servitude.The use of servitudes is not directly linked to feudal superiorities since a servitude is created for the benefit of a proprietor of land to exercise certain rights on or over adjoining land: it is not possible for a bare superiority to be the dominant tenement, or benefited property, in respect of a servitude. After the appointed day for feudal abolition, servitudes will remain an obligation enjoyed by one property in respect of another.Servitudes are separate from public rights of way. The law of servitudes is used to create rights for limited purposes, for example rights of access, not to deny rights of access.The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill will provide a right of responsible access to land and inland water for recreation and passage. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code provides guidance on the rights and responsibilities of public access. It is intended that the Bill will be introduced in Parliament shortly.

The Labour Force Survey, run by the Office of National Statistics, shows that the number of people employed in the construction industry in Scotland (including employees, self-employed, and government trainees), is approximately 180,000. Forecasts compiled by independent sources estimate that construction employment in Scotland could grow by up to 10% over the next few years.

The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including the Aggregates Tax. Responsibility for dealing with the European Commission on UK taxation matters lies with HM Treasury.

The table shows the budget and a breakdown of expenditure for Scottish Natural Heritage since 1997-98.

	1997-98 £ million	1998-99 £ million	1999-2000 £ million	2000-01 £ million
Running Costs	17.0	16.9	17.7	18.5
Capital Costs	1.3	1.4	1.6	2.1
Programme Costs	18.7	18.9	19.9	20.8
Total Budget	37.0	37.2	39.2	41.4

Running costs include all salary, superannuation and associated expenditure on buildings, travel, energy etc. A large proportion of the salary costs relate to people working directly for the benefit of the natural heritage.Capital costs include the purchase or improvement of assets, many of which directly support activities benefiting the natural heritage.Programme costs is direct expenditure enhancing and conserving the natural heritage via grants, site safeguard agreements and research contracts etc.

I understand that NOSWA received the final report on 4 October, analysed its content, and passed it to the member on 29 October, and to local community representatives.

The poisoning of wildfowl from lead deposited through shooting is widely accepted as a serious problem. The Scottish Executive was consulted in July of this year on the possible restriction on the use of lead shot and the responses are being analysed.A number of reports have been published giving international summaries of the problem. The answer to question S1W-3574 gave a comprehensive list of relevant reports but copies of all these documents are not held centrally by the Executive. A further key report, titled Lead Poisoning in Waterbirds. International Update Report 2000 was published this year by Wetlands International. A copy has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 17127).

I have Cabinet level responsibility for tourism and both Alasdair Morrison and I are working extremely hard with VisitScotland to support the industry at this difficult time.

The announcement on 22 August was about the School Buildings Improvement Fund, which provides for capital grants to education authorities under the Grants for School Improvements (Scotland) Regulations 1997 for expenditure on school buildings. These resources are being distributed to authorities on the basis of the education element of the formula, which is at present used for the allocation of capital consents on non-housing programmes under section 94 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. Full details of the grant arrangements are set out in Scottish Executive Education Department Circular 6/2001, copies of which are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre. The following table shows the distribution of the grant for financial year 2001-02.School Buildings Improvement Fund

Authorities	£000
Aberdeen City	372
Aberdeenshire	528
Angus	276
Argyll & Bute	260
Clackmannanshire	114
Dumfries & Galloway	337
Dundee City	321
East Ayrshire	296
East Dunbartonshire	305
East Lothian	210
East Renfrewshire	239
Edinburgh, City of	784
Eilean Siar	106
Falkirk	321
Fife	827
Glasgow City	1,251
Highland	541
Inverclyde	225
Midlothian	214
Moray	206
North Ayrshire	333
North Lanarkshire	870
Orkney Islands	78
Perth & Kinross	298
Renfrewshire	414
Scottish Borders	255
Shetland Islands	86
South Ayrshire	276
South Lanarkshire	795
Stirling	213
West Dunbartonshire	247
West Lothian	402
Scotland Total	12,000

No review group has been set up to look specifically at this area. The review of the commitment payment scheme in Scotland is being taken forward as part of the UK negotiations on the consultants' contract currently underway between the UK Health Departments and the British Medical Association (BMA). The Scottish Executive Health Department is fully involved in the UK negotiations.In order to ensure that any changes to the scheme are appropriate to Scottish needs, a Scottish consultation document Rewarding Commitment and Excellence in the NHS (Scotland) was published in April this year by the Scottish Executive Health Department. Responses were received from a range of sources, including NHS Trusts, Royal Colleges/Universities, the BMA, health boards and patients' representatives, and these are currently being considered by the department.