Current status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 August 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), what action SEPA will take at the locations where elevated concentrations have been identified, whether the planned expansion of monitoring from around 300 to 500 samples in 2026 is fully funded, and when it anticipates that environmental standards will be reviewed in light of developing evidence in the UK and EU.
SEPA has committed to increasing the number of samples of PFAS collected in 2026 to 500 which is fully funded through SEPA’s existing Grant in Aid arrangements. SEPA has stated that outcomes from its 2025 Water Quality Monitoring Report will be used to inform this extended programme of monitoring and investigation where necessary at specific sites.
The Scottish Government is currently reviewing the changes that the EU recently made to its list of Priority Substances for the Water Framework Directive, which includes the introduction of an environmental quality standard for 25 PFAS.