Plenary, 23 Feb 2005

Meeting date: Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Official Report 446KB pdf

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Extreme Weather Response (Western Isles)

The final item of business today is a members' business debate on motion S2M-2357, in the name of Alasdair Morrison, on responses to extreme weather conditions in the Western Isles. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.

Motion debated,

That the Parliament recognises the ferocious storms which caused tragic loss of life in the Western Isles in January 2005; expresses its gratitude to those who took part in the recovery operations; notes that extensive damage was done to the infrastructure which links the islands; further notes that many homes and businesses have been seriously affected and that Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is leading a multi-agency group to establish the extent and value of the damage caused, and believes that the Scottish Executive should consider whether further assistance can be made available to communities in the Western Isles to cope with these exceptional circumstances, while also initiating an assessment of future infrastructural implications of changing weather patterns for the Western Isles.

I thank all members who have signed the motion and allowed the debate to proceed this evening.

Few can recall an incident that has dominated conversation in the Western Isles more than the ferocious weather system that so dramatically altered the landscape of the islands six weeks ago. The cost is measured not only in physical terms but, above all, in human terms.

Tragically, five members of the same family lost their lives during the storm. Expressions of sympathy have already been appropriately articulated. As far as this debate is concerned, it is worth putting on the record the fact that the Campbell and MacPherson families know from the many unspoken gestures and messages of support that they do not grieve alone and that, during every tortuous step on the road to recovery, they will be upheld by the quiet, caring and dignified expressions of Christian compassion that friends and neighbours have already offered and will continue to offer for many a day. The communities of Uist and Benbecula mourn as one family, but we will also recover as one family.

Although we are obviously conscious of the specific difficulties that face some, we must also address the wider implications of the storm damage. To an extent, that assessment began when the First Minister sent Cathy Jamieson to Uist just days after the storm abated. I am grateful to see that so many ministers, including the First Minister, have attended the debate this evening.

As I said, Cathy Jamieson went to Uist days after the storm abated. During that visit the minister experienced for herself not only the emotional carnage but the dramatic transformation in the landscape of Uist and Benbecula—the same is obviously true of islands to the south: Vatersay and Barra.

During Cathy Jamieson's visit, her dignified and heartfelt expressions of sympathy and her recognition that the islands will need the support of the Scottish Executive were all greatly appreciated. They were particularly appreciated by the teachers and staff she met at Iochdar School, which was the focal point in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.

Collectively, we must now continue to work to ensure that we take action that will protect life and limb and will allow people to get on with their lives. Recent events have undoubtedly shaken people's confidence; we have a duty to rebuild that confidence.

The local authority—we are joined this evening by its convener, Alex Macdonald—has already taken remedial action on buildings and some of the islands' roads network, but we must now focus on the medium to long-term solutions.

I assure ministers that neither I nor anyone associated with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar who comes to Edinburgh to meet them will make ridiculous or outrageous demands. I assure the minister that requests for assistance will be measured and properly costed. That will take time. I certainly do not want to see good money being spent and then witness infrastructure literally being washed away with the next high tide.

I will address some specific infrastructure issues. Assessment of how we repair some of our causeways is well under way. The first impression from those who know about the engineering concerned is that to restore some causeways to their former glory would be a waste of taxpayers' money. We are in the process of finding engineering solutions, and those will be forwarded to the Executive shortly.

I have already raised informally the issue of a new primary school for Benbecula. The pupils at Balivanich Primary School are currently being taught at the premises of the company Qinetiq, which operates and runs the rocket range. That is another example of the company's generous offers of assistance in recent weeks. Rebuilding Balivanich School, which is currently sited just above the shore on the Atlantic coast, is not an option. I am sure that my discussions with the Minister for Education and Young People, Peter Peacock, will continue constructively over the next few weeks and months.

The confidence of the crofting community has been greatly affected: people who every day of their lives deal with the vagaries of the weather have been awestruck by the storms. A great deal of work has to be done, not only by the minister with responsibility for crofting but by other agencies that receive Government support. Lewis Macdonald has already spoken to the Crofters Commission, which is assessing the effects of the storm damage. Such a proactive attitude is welcome.

There are issues to do with crofter housing, stock proofing and tidal flood prevention. The middle district of South Uist and Baile Sear on North Uist are particularly vulnerable areas. Issues that relate to tidal flows, by their very nature, cannot be tackled and resolved in weeks. We will move sensibly and rationally to find solutions. Ena MacNeill from North Uist, who chairs the Scottish Crofting Foundation, can testify to the challenges that crofters and their families face.

The motion reflects our gratitude to those who took part in the recovery operations immediately after the storm. I mentioned the tragic loss of life and I also pay tribute to a remarkable man from South Uist: crofter Willie Hollister, who saved the lives of three children and their parents on the night that the storm reached our shores. For as long as the members of that family breathe God's free air, they will be eternally grateful to Mr Hollister. His courageous and life-saving actions that awful night deserve not just recognition in his community and in this chamber; let us hope that his actions can be recognised in a more formal manner—I leave the matter to be pondered by Jack McConnell and Cathy Jamieson.

The community that I represent is all too aware of the awesome power of the ocean and the elements, but the recent storms gave us real cause to take stock and plan for the decades ahead. Obviously, political leaders outwith the Scottish Parliament must take action that will impact on the climatic changes that we face. We know that there is the will to take such important decisions and I ask only that those who have the responsibility of office in the Scottish Parliament continue in the way in which they began their response to recent events and see through that response to its natural conclusion. If that happens, not only will confidence be rebuilt, but traumatised communities will be eternally grateful.

A considerable number of members want to speak, so I ask them to stick to a tight four minutes.

I thank Alasdair Morrison for lodging the motion and I congratulate him on securing the debate. I, too, witnessed some of the damage in South Uist when I visited there with colleagues last week, so I can only underline his remarks about the exceptional damage that occurred.

In the minister's response, we seek a means whereby we can move forward from processes that were put in place in the past. It is generally acknowledged that in the context of the Western Isles and the Highlands, the Bellwin formula does not meet the needs of current circumstances. In an era of climate change, which we are investigating and trying to mitigate and to which we are trying to adapt, communities such as those in the middle district of South Uist and many other communities on the west coast of Scotland will be in the front line of the storms that are likely to be more frequent in the future. Such communities and many other areas will experience extreme weather events. It is clear from the Highland Council's list that even areas on the east coast, such as North Kessock and others close to Inverness, were affected by the recent extreme weather. I note that the Minister for Justice will report to the ministerial group on civil contingencies; I would like to hear from her today about some of her responses to the group.

I am concerned to press the views of the people in the middle district who sought a strategic assessment of the hydrology and physical geography of the machair, because it is no exaggeration to say that if inundations were to breach the machair with salt water on a sustained basis, new islands could be created and a chain of events in South Uist, North Uist and Benbecula could be triggered. Such events could take place unless, first, an emergency plan is put in place and, eventually, funding is put in place to create defences against the sea. We need only consider the piles of stones that were thrown into the playground at Balivanich Primary School—anyone who had been present when that happened would have been killed—to understand the power of the sea, as the people whose views we heard last week described.

It is essential that Parliament acknowledge that it will take a lot of money and a lot of good planning to deal with the results of these extreme events. We therefore ask the minister how we can move on from contingency funding. In the Highland Council area, more than £5 million of damage was caused, but the Bellwin formula will trigger only a fraction of that. It is a similar story in the Western Isles. It is totally inadequate that that is how the present contingency funding programme will kick in.

We ask the minister to respond to Alasdair Morrison's excellent motion, which mentions the kind of studies that should take place. We know that we will have to break new ground in dealing with such circumstances and we look forward to the whole Parliament being able to work together to deal with natural disasters. At present Britain, Argentina and Israel appear to be the only countries that do not provide their citizens with funding to support themselves in natural disasters. Most other countries have systems in place. I would like to think that the disaster in the Western Isles, with its loss of life, will trigger a different response from this united Parliament.

I welcome Alasdair Morrison's motion for debate this evening. The recent severe and exceptional gales wreaked extensive damage to private property and public infrastructure throughout the Highlands and Islands. Many roads, bridges and causeways have been dangerously undermined, and piers and jetties have been destroyed beyond economical repair. Much of the agricultural land that is adjacent to the sea has suffered through extensive coastal erosion. All of that will require extensive and immediate remedial work, which will require a considerable injection of finance and support from the central Government.

In recent travels around the Highlands and Islands, I have witnessed at first hand the superficial extent of the damage. The hidden true extent cannot be assessed and will become obvious only when structures begin to fail in the months ahead.

It is interesting to note that, in some areas of the Highlands and Islands, the recorded wind speeds at the height of the gales reached 145mph, which is quite a force of wind. I am sure that if that had happened anywhere apart from in Scotland, a national emergency would have been declared immediately. We in the Highlands were given some sympathy, some elementary advice and a clear understanding that additional financial support would not be easily forthcoming. Local authorities do not have the financial resources to undertake the massive task that confronts them. Efforts must now be made to enlist the support of all the agencies in the Highlands and Islands to assess professionally the damage and the true cost of the remedial works that are required.

As everybody knows, the weather conditions caused a tragic waste of life and extensive damage in the Western Isles and across the Highlands and Islands. What happened showed how vulnerable we in western Europe are to weather conditions, despite our advanced technology. It was also a reminder of the strength of our communities in the Highlands and Islands—the combined community response was impressive to say the least.

However, when events such as these happen in the Highlands and Islands, communities should look to the rest of Scotland for support. We hear much about the Bellwin formula. I am delighted that the Bellwin formula will apply to Orkney and the Western Isles, but what I find ironic is that Highland Council largely missed out because it was prudent enough to take out adequate insurance cover.

Support must go beyond the short-term problems of damage—help must come partly in the form of financial assistance but also in the form of expertise in assessing the vulnerability of our coastal communities. Storms of this nature are likely to become more frequent because of global warming.

As I have said, in my constituency several roads suffered damage and there is a need not only to carry out superficial damage repairs, but to assess unseen damage. There is perhaps also a need to upgrade roads, piers and coastal protection all around the north. That will require not only money, but the necessary engineering expertise.

Of course, many of us throughout the country believe that the recent bad weather is a result of global warming. I believe that we need to take that seriously; I wonder whether the residents of Edinburgh did so when they voted against congestion charging in the recent referendum.

I commend Alasdair Morrison for his excellent speech, which I feel reflected accurately the mood in the Western Isles and conveyed the support that people there have given to one another. His whole speech was excellent, but I want to highlight his point about the need to take stock and plan for the decades ahead. What we are doing tonight is taking stock of where we are so that we can plan for the decades ahead.

Jamie McGrigor sends his apologies for not speaking in the debate; he has suffered a family bereavement.

The Bellwin scheme, which was drawn up in 1983, was seen as being a model scheme and a starting point. According to the scheme's guidance notes, it was set up as a discretionary scheme. I hope that ministers will consider the Bellwin scheme as a starting point and that they will use their discretion. The scheme uses a formula that was agreed by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to set thresholds for financial assistance for each council. Many of the authorities that have been affected are island authorities or authorities that have significant coastlines, such as Highland Council and Argyll and Bute Council. If those authorities are more likely to be affected by climatic conditions in the future, perhaps it is time for COSLA and the Executive to review the existing thresholds.

If we consider roads, for example—as John Farquhar Munro mentioned—under the Bellwin scheme only costs that relate to patching up and instant repairs are eligible for consideration; repairs to causeways and other work involving capital costs are not covered. The scheme relates only to costs that are incurred in the immediate aftermath of specific events. We must ask ourselves whether that is sufficient for current and future needs and, given the weather that we face, we must consider whether more extensive arrangements are necessary.

Like John Farquhar Munro, I want to highlight the impact of the storm on the Highlands. Damage was caused to 161 schools, 20 culture or sport properties and various other buildings. The total cost of remedial works in the area is likely to be more than £5 million, more than half of which will be accounted for by repairs to roads. The problem is that Highland Council cannot accommodate that £5 million sum in the near future without causing significant disruption to its capital programme. My point is that if the council has to take the money from other budgets, the areas that have been affected will suffer and there will be a severe opportunity cost. Alternatively, there could be an impact on council tax payers throughout the Highlands and Islands. As John Farquhar Munro said, Highland Council stands to receive no financial assistance from the Bellwin scheme, which applies strict criteria, because the council's qualifying costs are thought to fall below the £520,000 threshold.

Although we in Scotland are used to harsh winters and storms, there is no doubt that fear is growing that we will face more hazardous and extreme weather conditions in the future.

I ask the ministers to consider more proactive initiatives to prevent severe flooding, which may help us to avoid reactive situations such as that which we are debating tonight, in which council funding is not adequate to repair damage to local infrastructure and in which we send our condolences to the families who are affected.

I congratulate Alasdair Morrison on the motion, which is well drafted and highlights the way forward. His eloquent speech gave us a sense of how awful it must have been to be part of one of the affected communities, to live in the aftermath of the awful storms and to deal with the immediate human cost and the longer-term realisation that the clear-up would be a massive task. Alasdair Morrison is right to bring the issue to us so that we can think about how to respond.

Clearly, the response from communities, agencies and individuals was incredible. The Executive went up there early to talk to people about their experiences, which was vital and was also the right thing to do in the short term. Alasdair Morrison was right to spend most of his speech talking about such issues, but for the rest of us, there are other difficult issues. One or two members mentioned climate change, which we debated in the days after the storms in the Western Isles that made many of us pause for thought. The Environment and Rural Development Committee has been considering climate change for more than a month. All the scientific evidence shows that climate change is happening now; it is not something that might happen in the long run.

Two matters that we have been considering are how to stop climate change and how to adapt to it. Most of our high-level discussions have been about how to stop climate change—we have discussed reducing traffic congestion, more efficient energy use and cutting carbon use in society, but we must also focus urgently on adaptation. The communities that have experienced the problems of stormier weather need to take immediate and difficult decisions about repairs—we must have a dialogue with them about that. Uncertain and severe stormy weather will become a problem for more and more communities. One point that was raised in committee last week was that a similar storm in other parts of Scotland would be even more horrific, given the number of people who would be affected.

We must learn difficult human lessons. We are not equipped to cope, which poses difficult issues about the location of buildings such as health facilities, schools and houses. Alasdair Morrison's communities are thinking about whether to rebuild in the same places the buildings that were lost or to rebuild them elsewhere.

Another issue is that of the construction methods that should be used to replace buildings. Earlier, Alasdair Morrison and I were talking quietly about the fact that older houses that were built using stone and traditional methods and wooden houses that were screwed together survived, but that houses that were made from breeze blocks or precast concrete did not—some roofs were blown completely off. When we rebuild the houses and support the communities, we must work with the building and insurance industries to ensure that we do not just rebuild what existed previously; we need more resilient buildings and higher standards. Information on such matters is available and I hope that the Executive will stimulate urgent discussion of the subject.

The problem is terribly difficult. Much of the money that we will need to repair the houses, roads and causeways that have been talked about will have been committed already to something else. In deciding how to make the urgently needed repairs to infrastructure facilities, we must think carefully about the quality of the replacements and the priority that should be attached to them. Those are difficult decisions, because some of them will mean that other measures are not taken or will not happen as quickly as was intended. We need discussions among local authorities, the Executive and the construction industry. The issue is not only about spending more money, but about ensuring that we spend money properly for the long term so that the communities that have been devastated have confidence in their new roads, schools, hospitals and houses. That is an important point, not just in relation to the Western Isles, where the recent storms took a terrible human toll, but in relation to areas throughout Scotland, including the Highlands and Islands, Argyll and Bute and the central belt, because we do not know where storms will happen in the future. I hope that the Executive will take those points on board.

I join other members in commending Alasdair Morrison for securing the debate and I note the eloquent, detailed, compassionate and genuinely practical speeches that he and other members have made this evening.

We all agreed with the Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform, Tavish Scott, when he said:

"There is absolutely no doubt that storm damage and flooding can have a major impact on local communities … The images of the recent devastation in these areas will have had a powerful effect on everyone who saw them."

We also welcomed his commitment that emergency relief would be made available to help to deal with the immediate aftermath of the devastating storms and floods. I am sure that all members welcomed the fact that Cathy Jamieson took prompt action by telling islanders in January that they would get a sympathetic hearing. It is now six weeks since the hurricane—we look forward to ministers making good on those sentiments, so I will set out one or two ideas that might give them some leverage on that front.

The storm was utterly devastating. It is good to hear that the passage of time has neither blunted the impact of what happened nor eclipsed the need for urgent support and remedial work. The Western Isles were hit particularly hard with tragic loss of life, but the impact stretches up the west coast with Mull, Skye and the western seaboard all incurring damage. The case for support is strong in all those economically fragile areas, but nowhere is it stronger than in the Western Isles, where the poignant and tragic loss of life has rocked the community.

The physical and financial damage has been enormous. Fishing boats and fishing livelihoods have been affected and there have been fish-processing lay-offs. Land has been damaged and eroded, fences have been brought down and washed away and infrastructure such as coastal roads, breakwaters, ferry-berthing facilities and public buildings and private homes have been damaged. Balivanich Primary School on Benbecula was left in such a precarious state that a new building on a new site is needed.

Those island communities are in no shape to bear such damage because people there have lower incomes than people in the rest of Scotland. They do not have the financial resilience that they will need in order that they can manage. The Western Isles Council, like some of its counterparts in the rest of the country, faces the financial and logistical pressures of serving remote and island communities. The cost of repairing damage to lifeline transport arteries extends beyond the cost of reinstatement of services, to the cost of delays in getting goods and services to market and the cost of ensuring the economic viability of the area. The damage to confidence is paramount and must be addressed. We want to see Parliament standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of the Western Isles.

In doing our utmost to consolidate the social cohesion and viability of the communities, we need to think laterally. In today's edition of the Financial Times, there are precedents and examples that demand emulation. Today it was announced that MG Rover is being granted delays in paying VAT in order to keep it viable. Such flexibility and such an imaginative approach is surely worth emulating on behalf of Highlands and Islands communities, given that the Government is, in terms of renewable energy, set to profit hugely from the forces that devastated the Western Isles and west coast. Would not it make compassionate sense to show similar imaginative flexibility to protect an entire community?

I reiterate with enthusiasm the plea for urgent and generous help, after the fashion of the United States Government when it faces natural disasters and declares states of emergency and provides the traditional full support. We should take on board the message from the likes of the Scottish Crofting Foundation, which seeks flexibility in the award of agricultural grants. My final plea is that whatever support we put on the table goes beyond Bellwin and makes a real difference.

I welcome the debate and thank Alasdair Morrison for introducing it. Like everyone else, I was horrified at the severity of the storm and the loss of life and I associate myself with what Alasdair Morrison said in praising those who showed such courage in taking part in the recovery operation.

I was in the Western Isles last week. I was only on Lewis, but even there I could see the damage. To illustrate, it is reckoned that something like 400 trees came down in the grounds of Lews Castle, which is on the side of the island that did not suffer the worst of the damage. That is only an indication of what all the islanders went through that night. I also saw the pictures in the local papers, which are horrifying. Alasdair Morrison used the word "awesome", and there was a feeling of awe at the power of nature and the damage that it could do.

I note that damage was suffered elsewhere and that, as John Farquhar Munro and others said, the Highlands suffered £5 million or more of damage. I also note Highland Council's concern that the way in which the Bellwin scheme works means that the council will not qualify for assistance under the scheme. The Bellwin scheme will have to be re-examined. Given that it is probable that, because of climate change, the frequency of severe weather events will increase, we will have to find a scheme that addresses that new and evolving situation.

Despite the damage in other areas, it is clear that the Western Isles—in particular, the Uists and Barra—suffered the worst of the storm. The pictures of boulders piled up in the playground of Balivanich Primary School said more than words can about what people went through that night. I am sure that the estimate that I have seen of £1.4 million-worth of infrastructure damage and loss of livestock will turn out to be an underestimate.

Roads and buildings will need to be relocated and I agree with Sarah Boyack about the standards to which those new buildings will have to be built. I mention relocation particularly because, although I would like to think that something in the way of coastal protection could be done to lessen such damage in future, protecting the coast would be an immense task. As far as I could find out, the longest stretch of coastal protection in the United Kingdom is 30km, so if we look at the length of the Western Isles' Atlantic coast, we can see what a huge task creating coastal protection there would be. That is not to say that that should not or could not be attempted, but we cannot rely on coastal protection and will have to consider relocation. We will have to assume that anything that is close to the Atlantic shore will be vulnerable.

It seems probable that severe weather events will become more frequent. Councils should not have to bear the burden of that and private individuals and businesses cannot be expected to. The Government must set aside a considerable fund—dare I call it a war chest—that can be drawn on for emergency relief and infrastructure repair following such events.

I welcome every word of the motion and associate myself with everything else that has been said in the debate. We are all at one on the matter.

I thank Alasdair Morrison for lodging his motion and securing the debate. It is a sombre debate, and we are all well aware of the damage that has been done in communities throughout the Highlands and Islands, but particularly in the Western Isles, where it was compounded by the tragic loss of life.

The physical devastation also occurred all down the west Highland coastal areas—in Highland Council's area and in Argyll and Bute—in Orkney and down the east coast of the Highlands. I will highlight particular areas as examples. Councillor MacDougall from the Isle of Mull tells me about—and itemises—roads on Mull that have been partly washed away, sewerage infrastructure on Iona that has been washed away and the massive damage to the sea wall at Ganavan bay near Oban. There is also serious coastal erosion on Iona and Tiree. In fact, Councillor Gillies from Tiree has sent graphic illustrations of that.

In the Highland Council area, the total cost of the reinstatement of buildings and infrastructure will be in the region of £5 million. Mary Scanlon itemised some of that earlier, but I will focus on examples of what has happened in communities to illustrate. The harbour at Gairloch was damaged and boats sank; at Poolewe, the sea defences and public pavement were ripped up. That is what happened in only one small corner of the Highlands. Altogether, scores of communities that front on to the sea or sea lochs have suffered damage to sea walls, coastal roads, footpaths, harbours, piers and breakwaters.

It is important not only that the repairs to that infrastructure be made but that our defences against such storms be strengthened. As others have said, the Environment and Rural Development Committee is carrying out an inquiry into the implications of climate change and evidence that we have heard points to the increased frequency of such storms and the need to prepare ourselves to withstand them. We have already put in place strategies to deal with river flooding and we must now put strategies in place to take account of probable increases in severe storms that will damage buildings and infrastructure unless we look seriously at our defences and building standards.

I recently visited the Highland headquarters of the Red Cross, in Inverness. I had expected to discuss the tsunami appeal with its staff, but instead we discussed the impact of the January storm on a particular small west coast community, where the Red Cross is involved in capacity building for dealing with accidents and emergencies. The Red Cross was concerned that the storm and its effects had severely knocked the confidence of local people. I am sure that the same thing happened in other small communities that bore the brunt of the storm. People worry about what will happen the next time and about the effect that that could have on their homes and livelihoods, whether they rely on fishing, crofting or tourism. Highland Council's estimates do not include loss of boats or livestock.

Depopulation in such small communities is already a cause for concern. If such communities are to stay alive, we must do all that we can to support the people who live there and to attract new people in. That means swift repair of storm damage and an assessment of what further infrastructure is needed to protect people from similar severe weather in the future. We must ensure that we invest in the future of those communities.

To end with, I would like to read from a letter from Councillor Gillies, from Tiree. He wrote to Argyll and Bute Council:

"I have recently received formal representations from a majority of the residents in the general area of Brock, regarding their concerns following this month's storm.

The residents who have approached me are fully aware of the severity and ‘freak' nature of the weather system that caused such damage to the general ecology and topography of Tiree. They are also resigned to the outlook that the weather that we are now witnessing may not be freak and may in fact become a regular occurrence.

I have attached or enclosed some photographs of both the flooding and erosion around this most picturesque and culturally important part of Tiree. You will note particularly a ‘new' lochan immediately east of"—

a person's home—

"as well as significant erosion in the form of blow holes along the coastal dune edge.

While I realise that the Council has no particular remit in terms of assistance, where threatened property is not infrastructure, or Council owned assets such as council houses or schools, I believe that we should be doing something."

I believe that we in the Parliament should be doing something to help the people who were worst affected and that we should be considering a strategy for tackling future occurrences of a similar nature.

I add my congratulations to Alasdair Morrison on lodging his motion and I appreciate the way in which he expressed sympathy for the victims and condolences for the bereaved and acknowledged the bravery of the individuals involved. Money will never bring back loved ones, nor will it compensate for the loss of family.

Members have already covered many of the issues extremely well. The one issue that I would like to stress is the desire to focus on preventive measures. When I visited the people who had been affected by flooding following the tidal surge on the River Ness on 12 January, I was struck not only by the immediate devastation of lives—which I had also felt when I had visited people whose homes had been destroyed by flooding on a previous occasion in Inverness, which had affected people in Drakies, including Councillor Janet Home and her husband—but by the abiding concern that we must get it right for the future.

I praise Highland Council for its work in connection with river flooding, although the incident to which I have just referred was a tidal surge. Much more needs to be done and will be done in that regard. I have received an assurance from Mary McLaughlin that particular problems in the Huntly Street area and around the River Ness in general will be attended to. That is most welcome.

The question of the Bellwin formula has been raised and Highland Council has briefed us all as to whether the formula should be revised. There is a case for a review. In reviewing the 50 or 60 parliamentary questions that there have been about the Bellwin formula, I discovered that very few focused on the possibility of a review. One that did was asked by my wife, Margaret Ewing, and was answered on 27 November 2002. It elicited the response:

"We keep the criteria under review".—[Official Report, Written Answers, 27 November 2002; S1W-31656.]

It did not say "constant review", but I am sure that that is implicit. I do not believe that the scheme has changed since that time. That is not a point of criticism against the Executive, but there is a basic problem: unless damage reaches a certain threshold, there is no compensation. The threshold is just over £500,000, which was not reached in the case of Highland Council.

A further problem is that the Bellwin scheme deals only with the revenue side. I may be wrong but, as I understand it from the information that I have, the capital costs are not really covered. Therefore, there is a need for regional funding. Of course, regional funding may not be sufficient if the more alarmist or extreme predictions of the effects of climate change come true, because the whole of the south of England might disappear—a prospect that even we in the SNP would view with considerable consternation.

We cannot say that only the Highlands and Islands will be affected, but we can say that severe weather has always been of concern in the Highlands and Islands and that it seems to be becoming much more marked, as members have said. If that is so and if we can foresee the likelihood of more extreme weather leading to more damage, more carnage and more costs, I submit that that strengthens the arguments for a review of the Bellwin formula. As Alasdair Morrison said, there is no magic wand. I do not think that any member believes that there is a cave in which lots of money is hidden that can be taken out to solve all the problems of the world.

I conclude by saying that if my wife were not in Malawi leading a parliamentary delegation as part of the make poverty history campaign, I am sure that she would be here. I know that she has extensive experience of the impact of severe weather, particularly flooding, in Moray. Such problems have occurred throughout Scotland and I look forward with great interest to hearing the minister's response. I am pleased about the tone of the debate which, I hope we would all agree, is appropriate as a tribute to those in the Western Isles who suffered such tragic loss.

I, too, am grateful to Alasdair Morrison and to all the other members who have contributed to a good debate. We have heard a wide range of comments on the problems that occurred not only in the Western Isles but in the wider Highland area. That is, of course, something that the Executive will want to examine and officials are in discussion with Highland Council on a number of matters.

I wish to focus my remarks primarily on the Western Isles; I think that people will understand why. The storm of 11 January was a truly shocking event. As I heard directly from the islanders, the combination of high tides and hurricane force winds was the worst to hit the islands in living memory. I saw for myself the damage that they caused when I visited the islands on 14 January. It was my first visit to the islands and it was distressing to see how many people were affected in all sorts of ways.

Once again, I extend the Executive's sympathy to everyone who was affected, and particularly to the friends and family of those who lost their lives so tragically. All of us throughout Scotland were moved by the events of those few days. Whatever difficulties anyone might face, they pale into insignificance beside the loss of a family, such as that community suffered. The scenes of school staff and volunteers gathering to search for the final missing child will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I am, however, often struck by how such tragedy and adversity can bring out the best in people. There is no doubt that that is what happened in the Western Isles. I was impressed by the willingness with which so many people volunteered their time, skills and resources to help not just with the immediate problems but with the continuing rescue effort and the clearing up. There was a strong sense of community and a desire to look out for and to protect the most vulnerable people. I was particularly impressed by the call centre that dealt with questions and queries, some of which came from isolated elderly people, and by the compassion and care of staff, some of whom worked around the clock. I was also impressed by the emergency services and the voluntary sector, with people getting on and doing what needed to be done without waiting to be asked.

In many ways, that sense of community extended throughout Scotland. For example, Glasgow City Council and other organisations offered practical help in the immediate aftermath and the chairman of the Crofters Commission visited the islands soon after the storm to investigate and report on the impact on crofting communities.

I recognise that the havoc that is caused by an event on the scale of the hurricane cannot be cleared up purely and simply by willing volunteers, by generous gestures and by the sympathy and understanding that was offered, in a matter of days. Alasdair Morrison and others graphically described the considerable damage to schools, housing, local businesses and the transport infrastructure, particularly in the Uists. I put on record my thanks to Western Isles Council.

Some members have talked about how emergencies are dealt with. The council put in place the local emergency planning procedures. That decision was taken locally, which is the right way to proceed. The council managed the situation effectively and pulled together a multi-agency group to lead the recovery. When I visited, I had a full briefing from everybody involved in that process. We have continued to work with the council in the past few weeks and officials from several Executive departments have been in touch with council staff to provide practical information and advice and to begin to examine the initial damage assessment reports and some of the information that is being received from the islands. Several members referred to that.

Members have not, however, mentioned some other subjects. I know that Lewis Macdonald wanted particularly to remind people of the assistance that is being provided to crofters through grants under the crofting counties agricultural grants scheme—I do not profess to be an expert on such schemes. The Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department also offers assistance in several ways. I understand that opportunities are available through the croft house grant scheme, which is flexible. If people find themselves in vulnerable positions, those schemes might assist them. Officials will continue to examine that.

SEERAD staff have also undertaken a survey of the damage to sea defences where breaches have been found on the Scottish ministers' estates. Estimates for repairs are being sought and remedial work will be put in train.

Several members mentioned the Bellwin scheme. We moved quickly to announce the exceptional activation of the scheme to provide emergency financial assistance to councils in the north of Scotland, which include Western Isles Council. As members are aware and as Mary Scanlon, John Farquhar Munro and others reminded us, the scheme is discretionary. It gives special financial assistance to authorities that would otherwise face undue financial burdens as a result of providing relief and undertaking immediate work because of large-scale emergencies. The scheme focuses on one matter. Until we have received all the proper estimates, we will not know what the financial support will be. Several members asked whether Bellwin remains the right scheme and whether it takes the right approach. People will be pleased to know that we will consider that; the scheme is due to be reviewed.

I will say a word or two about climate change and issues that will arise from the likelihood that there will be more such weather. Several members, including Maureen Macmillan, Rob Gibson and Sarah Boyack talked about that. I apologise that I cannot mention everything that members raised. There is no doubt that we need a long-term strategy to deal with climate change and a strategy to deal with problems with any emergency planning that might be required for incidents that arise from climate change. The Executive has agreed to organise an event in April to bring together the emergency planning community to examine such issues.

I was interested in comments that were made by Sarah Boyack, who made a good, thought-provoking speech, and by Maureen Macmillan. We have not had the opportunity to consider building standards and sustainable redevelopment in detail, but I will take that from the debate and consider it as part of the process of rebuilding. I understand from Patricia Ferguson that other architectural design opportunities are likely to arise. People might see the situation as an opportunity to come together to offer assistance.

Much has been done, but much more still needs to be done. That is why the First Minister agreed to a request from Western Isles Council's convener for meetings with relevant ministers. I am responding to the debate on the Scottish ministers' behalf, but it is important that those who work on each portfolio can assess the damage. Those meetings are being arranged for early next month, when the council will have an opportunity to give us an up-to-date picture of what is happening and where we need to focus our efforts. The First Minister has also announced that he will visit the islands in April. I assure members that the Executive and its agencies will continue to work with the council and others in the Western Isles as the recovery continues and the long-term needs become clearer.

Members might have hoped that I would make a financial announcement today. I hope that my saying that we are not in a position to make such an announcement for the good reason that we have still not fully assessed the scale of the problem will not disappoint people. We want to make a proper assessment but we will, of course, do everything that we reasonably can to help. We made that clear on the day.

I must finish. There are too many people in the Western Isles community to mention—individuals and people in organisations—who helped to deal with the immediate problems and the storm's aftermath. However, I have heard about Willie Hollister's contribution, to which Alasdair Morrison referred. I am not sure what we can do to acknowledge that contribution appropriately, but I certainly want to take that matter away to consider whether there is a way of doing so.

Meeting closed at 18:00.