The timing of any submission of a planning application to the Scottish ministers is for the relevant local authority. Any submission during an election period would be handled in accordance with the election guidance for Scottish Executive staff. The guidance makes clear that ministers should only be invited to take decisions on issues during an election period where it is absolutely essential. Consequently, ministers were not asked to decide on any planning applications during April although officials continued to deal with certain routine cases under delegated authority.

Sportscotland withdrew their objections to the planning application for the development at Meggetland in 2001.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency makes an assessment of the environmental effects of waste disposal as a matter of course when exercising its regulatory duties in respect of landfill installations.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) carries out monitoring of surface water, groundwater, landfill gas and emissions in respect of various waste disposal installations around Fauldhouse. SEPA also samples Breich Water both chemically and biologically at three points near Fauldhouse as part of its national water sampling and classification programme. If deterioration were to be detected, SEPA would initiate remedial action.

This is an operational matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the local authority. Waste management activities are controlled by the land use planning process, operated by the local authority, and by the landfill permitting process operated by the agency. In terms of ensuring that existing or closed sites do not have adverse impacts, I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-00355 on 6 June 2003. 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/webapp/search_wa.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the local authority have responsibilities for the assessment of the environmental impact of such landfilI, for which I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-00355 on 6 June 2003 . 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/webapp/search_wa.

The information requested is not held centrally. This is an operational matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the local authority.

The has no plans to conduct a public inquiry into the issue of landfill of toxic materials around Fauldhouse. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) carries out monitoring of surface water, groundwater, landfill gas and emissions in respect of various waste disposal installations around Fauldhouse, and advises that at the present time at no site falling under SEPA's jurisdiction is there an adverse impact to be ameliorated. In the case of sites for which the waste disposal or management licence expired before 31 March 1996, and which are not therefore a matter for that agency, the local authority, West Lothian Council, is responsible for carrying out inspections, and detailed investigations if these are necessary.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the local authority have responsibilities for carrying out a level of monitoring and investigation of waste disposal activities that is appropriate to the level of environmental risk, including the risk of environmental degradation hazardous to human health. For these responsibilities I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-355 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found athttp://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

The information requested is not held centrally.