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Strasbourg Diary December 2004 by John
Purvis MEP
BETTER VALUE NEEDED FROM SCOTTISH WATER
Water and drainage customers in Scotland put up
with the worst levels of service in Britain, according
to a study by the Water Industry Commissioner
for Scotland. Admittedly, the study only covered
2002 when Scottish Water had just taken over from
the three regional authorities and Scottish Water
claim they have improved the infrastructure and
service since then. That doesn’t come without
investment, naturally. Having had hikes each year
since they took over in 2002, Scottish Water’s
business plan for 2006 –2010 proposes a
5% increase in charges before inflation to fund
£ 2.2 billion of investment to meet standards
laid down by the EU. That is equivalent to £229
per home each year – 44% more than in England
and Wales over the same four-year period –
but it’s the way in which Scottish Water
is funded that is resulting in consumers paying
too much. Being public sector, Scottish Water
feels obliged to account for much of its investment
as current expenditure in order to keep down its
public sector borrowing. This means these long
term expenses go straight into customers' charges.
In the private sector this could be repaid over
the life of the assets and be charged to its customers
accordingly.
ANIMAL WELFARE
My postbag has been full of letters from Scottish
constituents protesting about the conditions in
which animals are transported across Europe. These
were prompted by a meeting of agriculture ministers
from European member states in Brussels to discuss
stricter animal welfare rules. Some countries,
including the UK, supported an improved enforcement
of the existing rules, more training of drivers
and better vehicle standards but they would not
limit the number of hours an animal may travel
nor their density conditions. Over 3 million farm
animals are transported huge distances across
Europe and many are sent on journeys of around
50 hours, according to the Political Animal Lobby.
I think our best option is to slaughter more animals
locally and develop the trade in carcases and
meat. The answers are never easy, however, as
the fall-out from the foot-and-mouth epidemic
in this country means that our Scottish farm animals
often have to go to designated abattoirs for slaughter
and, for many, this still means a long journey
even within the UK.
WHO GETS YOUR VOTE?
The first person to be appointed immediately after
the election of the President of the European
Parliament is the European Ombudsman. The candidates
in the running are outgoing Ombudsman Nikiforos
Diamandouros, who is Greek, and Italian Giuseppe
Fortunato, Ombudsman for the region of Campania.
The role of the European Ombudsman is to examine
complaints from any citizen or resident of the
EU who believes he or she has been the victim
of maladministration by any EU body. The number
of complaints is rising annually. The two candidates
differ less in their ideas than in their style
and temperament. Mr Diamandouros says that the
increase in the number of complaints does not
mean the community administration is functioning
worse than before, but that European citizens
are getting to know and to exploit their rights
better. Mr Fortunato, on the other hand, says
it is not enough simply to speak to people and
meet them, or to write letters saying that a problem
lies outwith one’s remit. He has said: “The
Ombudsman is the friend of the citizen. His job
is to transform suffering into smiles.”
MEPs will vote in January in a secret ballot.
You may have to call on the Ombudsman’s
services one day. Which would you choose?
John Purvis has been re-appointed
to the Committee on Industry, Technology, Research
and Energy and as Vice Chairman of the Committee
on Economic and Monetary Affairs. He is also a
member of the Legal Affairs Committee. He can
be contacted by e-mail at
jpurvis@europarl.eu.int or visit his website
on www.scottishtorymeps.org.uk.
Press Contact: Frances Donald
Tel 01592 643200
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