Nepal Earthquake
I am sure that the whole Parliament will join me in extending sympathy to the people of Nepal.
To ask the Scottish Government what help it can give to the people of Nepal affected by the recent earthquake, and what assistance it can give to the Nepalese community in Scotland. (S4T-01002)
I thank Kevin Stewart for his question and, of course, I express the condolences of the Scottish Government and, I am sure, the entire chamber to the people of Nepal and the Nepalese community worldwide.
The earthquake that struck Nepal on Saturday was the worst in the region for more than 80 years, and it has caused untold destruction and devastation to the people of Nepal. I have written to the Nepali embassy to offer assistance, should it be needed. As I said, I know that members here will join me in expressing condolences. The Scottish Government is liaising closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and British embassy staff on the ground who are providing help to British nationals in Nepal.
Following the Disasters Emergency Committee’s launch of the Nepali earthquake appeal, I am pleased to announce that the Scottish Government has donated £250,000. The funds will be spent by some of our leading aid agencies that are working in the region to provide to the people who have been affected much-needed relief, including provision of clean water, food, shelter and medical supplies.
I take this opportunity to urge the people of Scotland to dig deep and to support our aid agencies in responding to the devastation that has been caused by the earthquake. I know that in the past the Scottish people have dug deep into their pockets and responded generously. I hope that they will do so again.
Emergency response teams are in Nepal assessing the situation and are beginning to distribute relief supplies. I pay tribute to all their hard work.
I know that I speak for people across the country when I say that the Scottish Government’s donation is very welcome. It will provide much-needed relief to the people of Nepal, who are going through unimaginable suffering.
A Nepalese family living in Aberdeen has sent me an email. It says:
“Word from our immediate family is that our Nepal home is too badly damaged to occupy, and that story is repeated all across the extended family, where many of the houses have actually just disappeared. They’re alive and sleeping outside, hungry and worried.”
Folk here are concerned about the impact that the monsoon season will have on their families who are already in an awful situation. Will the minister assure me that we will do all that we can to help, in co-operation with the United Kingdom Government and international bodies?
I thank the member for that additional question. Kevin Stewart can most certainly have the assurance that we will work with international bodies and with the UK Government, which should be commended for the speed of its response. It will consider its future responses as the situation and needs become clearer.
On the Nepalese community in Kevin Stewart’s constituency and elsewhere in Scotland, I hope that I have helped by giving him the number for the Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I will put out that number again on social media. I think that it is also on our website for anyone else in the Nepalese community who is concerned about their family.
Kevin Stewart is absolutely correct to mention the monsoon season arriving—I have heard reports of sleet and adverse weather conditions in Nepal. That will, unfortunately, have an affect in respect of bodies that are unrecoverable at the moment, and the disease and infection that will be spread from them.
I am more than happy to ensure that we have discussions with the Scottish centre for Himalayan research. I have spoken to the Nepali honorary consul general, Sunita Poddar. She is looking to bring together the Nepalese community from across Scotland, to find out the bits of intelligence that they have, to look at the expertise that Scotland might have and to see how, in the long term, we can assist with a fuller response.
I once again urge everyone here to spread the message about DEC’s appeal to raise much-needed funds for the immediate relief effort.
Can we play a part in the long-term response in, for example, assessment of material and cultural damage, and in work towards reconstruction and recovery?
The minister mentioned the Scottish centre for Himalayan research, which has a great deal of expertise. I hope that he will be able to meet it and discuss some of the matters that it has raised with me. It would gladden me to hear that he would be willing to do so.
Yes—I will do that. I know that a number of our agencies have great expertise in conservation of historical monuments. I am sure that we can have that discussion with the SCHR to see whether there is anything that we can do in the long term.
Kevin Stewart will understand that the immediate priorities at the moment are shelter and food. No doubt further resilience work will need to be done thereafter. A number of the aid agencies are experts in that longer-term resilience work, including Mercy Corps, which has its European headquarters here in Edinburgh.
I assure Kevin Stewart that it will not be a case of our simply watching what happens this week. Unfortunately, as often happens with emergencies and disasters, they fall off our television screens and people lose interest. I assure him that the Scottish Government and, I am certain, the UK Government will not do that: we will keep an eye on what is going on. We will speak to the Nepalese community here and to our aid agencies and other public bodies to see how we can help in the long term.
I welcome the minister’s announcement on aid. He will be aware of the urgent logistical challenges that the Government and people of Nepal face in relation to access, transport and, in particular, shelter. He will also be aware of the fire and rescue staff from Aberdeen who have offered to provide urgent assistance at this critical time.
Will the Scottish Government enable further secondments of professional staff from Scotland’s emergency services, and of others who are in a position to assist with the urgent challenges of getting access to remote areas of Nepal at this time?
Mr Macdonald is absolutely right to mention our emergency and fire and rescue services and the commendable work that they are looking to do immediately overseas, and which they always do when it comes to tackling disasters that take place.
Emergency relief is the priority: where emergency service staff—or any other personnel—can play a part, the Scottish Government will work closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the British embassy in Nepal to ensure that we can facilitate that. We will be able to add value to that in the long term, in seeing to the needs of the people of Nepal. The need may be for water sanitisation or water infrastructure, in which Scotland has a lot of expertise. We will seek to contribute where appropriate and wherever we can. I assure Mr Macdonald that anybody, be they emergency service responders or otherwise, who wants to help and assist will find that the Scottish Government is welcoming and that it will try to facilitate their contribution.
I am sure that all of us will join the minister and Kevin Stewart in offering our condolences. I also hope that Scots will donate generously. The United Kingdom Government has offered £5 million to match the first £5 million that is raised, which is encouraging.
We should also recognise the resilience of the Nepalese people in the face of this tragic event, which has already been reported on. Could the minister ascertain from the minister with responsibility for veterans whether there are any serving Ghurkhas in Scotland at the moment, and will he ensure that they are contacted and offered support if that is appropriate?
I will certainly have that conversation with the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, and with other appropriate Government ministers. We have seen a real rush of response from the UK because of our relationship with the Ghurkhas, and I have been heartened by that response, so I shall certainly have that conversation and update Richard Simpson, who is correct to raise the issue.
Another area that I know Richard Simpson takes a great interest in is the psychotrauma that often befalls people who have been involved in natural disasters. Again, I give him every assurance that we will look to facilitate requests for long-term help. It has been heartwarming to see the UK response from the Government—but more so from the people. The relationship between our armed services and Nepal and the vital role that has been played by the Ghurkhas is one of the reasons for that response.
Forth Road Bridge (Wire Corrosion)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the wire corrosion on the Forth road bridge. (S4T-01001)
The Forth Estuary Transport Authority provided an update in a press release on 22 April 2015 that noted that, although wire corrosion requires investigation, there are no immediate safety concerns and the cables still have more than enough strength to do their job. The work will be taken forward by FETA and then through the new Forth bridges unit operating contract that commences on 1 June 2015.
The minister will be aware that, since the acoustic monitoring system was installed in 2006, it has detected 93 wire breaks, but 24 of them have been since the end of January this year. Will he indicate whether that is part of a longer-term problem?
Mr Stewart is correct that the acoustic monitoring equipment is providing us with the information that we require, but there will be a further comprehensive investigation over May and June, which will be more intrusive and in depth. That will give us further information on which to make a judgment. Clearly, some of the cracks that have appeared will be worthy of further investigation, but we are still of the opinion that there are no immediate safety concerns and that the cables are perfectly fine to carry the bridge and the traffic on the bridge. Of course, there will be on-going monitoring and investigation, and the work that we have put in place for dehumidification will prevent further deterioration, although some of this is a legacy from when the first cracks and breaks appeared in 2004-05. There is no reason to be alarmed, but we are conducting a close inspection of the faults that have been found.
Will the minister confirm that, even when the new bridge is complete, the Forth road bridge will still be used for school buses, taxis and cyclists? If there are further wire breaks over the next few months, will he agree to come back to Parliament and make a statement, to reassure the public about understandable safety concerns?
I say again, for reassurance, that, although the increase in the number of detected wire breaks requires a full investigation, there are no immediate safety concerns. The cables still have more than enough strength to do their job. There will also be the on-going investigation that I have referred to.
After consultation, we will produce a road order that will set out what traffic will be able to use the Forth road bridge in the future. As the bridge transfers to the responsibility of the Scottish ministers and a new operating company contract, it will be designated as a motorway and any traffic will have to be compliant with that status. We will produce a road order imminently, which will go out to consultation, and I will be more than happy to report back to Parliament on that and on any other matter relating to the strength of the bridge. As I say, the concerns will be fully investigated, but there is no cause for alarm.
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