Housing, Dundee Contract Services And Environment Services Committee - 18/09/2006

At a MEETING of the ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE held at Dundee on 18th September, 2006.

Present:-

BAILIES

COUNCILLORS

Councillor Julia M STURROCK, Convener, in the Chair.

The minute of meeting of this Committee of 26th June, 2006 was held as read.

Unless marked thus * all items stand delegated.

I TRUSTED TRADER PARTNERSHIP SCHEME

Reference was made to Article IV of minute of meeting held on 21st February, 2005, wherein approval was given for the establishment of the Trusted Trader Partnership Scheme.

There was submitted Report No 535-2006 by the Head of Environmental Health and Trading Standards providing an update on the operation of the Dundee 'Trusted Trader' local business partnership scheme, launched in March 2005.

The Committee agreed:-

(i) to note the successes of the Dundee 'Trusted Trader' partnership scheme to date; and

(ii) that the scheme be maintained and expanded as outlined in the report.

II AGE RESTRICTED SALES SURVEYS

There was submitted Report No 526-2006 by the Head of Environmental Health and Trading Standards advising of test purchasing operations that had been carried out with young persons, following a change in policy by the Lord Advocate, and to seek approval for further test purchase operations by Trading Standards Officers in Dundee.

The Committee agreed:-

(i) to note the work that had been done and approved the continued deployment of young volunteers, where appropriate, to check compliance with the law concerning the sale of age-restricted products including fireworks, cigarettes, aerosol spray paint and solvents, in support of the community safety aims of the Council and to protect the health of young people;

(ii) that young persons be used only as an enforcement method of last resort, in response to allegations or intelligence against particular traders, where other enforcement options have proved ineffective;

(iii) that appropriate young persons are recruited from Dundee schools and deployed using the guidelines approved by the Scottish Executive; and

(iv) that further instances of sales of age restricted products result in reports being prepared for the Procurator Fiscal.

The Committee considered that the Licensing Board may be interested in seeking similar test purchase arrangements for alcohol and it was agreed that the report be forwarded to the Clerk to the Licensing Board.

III SUPPLY OF REPLACEMENT FORKLIFT

There was submitted Report No 534-2006 by the Head of Waste Management seeking authority to purchase a replacement forklift truck for use at the Marchbanks Recycling Plant within the Waste Management Department.

The Committee agreed to accept the offer from Finning Material Handling, Staffordshire amounting to 19,520 (including trade-in of existing unit).

The Committee resolved under Section 50(A)(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 that the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the undernoted item of business on the grounds that this would involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 3, 6 and 9 of Part 1 of Schedule 7A to the above Act.

IV CIVIC GOVERNMENT (SCOTLAND) ACT, 1982 - SECTION 90 - DEFECTIVE STAIR LIGHTING

There was submitted Agenda Note AN318-2006 detailing notices which had been served on the owners of properties requiring works to be carried out.

The Committee noted that the Head of Environmental Health and Trading Standards would carry out the works should the owners not comply within the timescales.

Julia M STURROCK, Convener.