Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has detailed corporate emergency response arrangements in place and operates a proportionate response to major incidents affecting Scotland. In the event of a major widespread flooding event arising in Scotland, the Scottish Government emergency room would be activated to liaise with local responders, assess the impact and co-ordinate the corresponding activity of government. The Scottish Government''s emergency committee structures, which include official and ministerial groups, would be activated as required to: provide strategic direction and national overview for the activity of government; and to inform and support the local response by ensuring that any issues for government are considered and actioned promptly.

There are no standing arrangements for a flood recovery co-ordinating team, as the existing emergency committee structures are designed to be flexible and adaptable for a range of emergencies. Any decision to set up a such a team would depend on the extent and range of impact of any flooding incident, the expectations and wishes of Scottish ministers and the actual activity required of Scottish Government. This decision would be taken by the Cabinet sub-committee (SEER), on which both the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth and the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment sit. This ministerial group would advise, depending on the nature of the impact, which minister would be best placed to chair these arrangements.

The total capital grant support for flood prevention schemes under the 1961 Act in each year from 1999 can be found in the following table:

Flood Prevention Grants (from 1999-2000)

Year	Total Capital Grant Paid (£)
1999-2000	4,574,033
2000-01	3,163,352
2001-02	4,157,988
2002-03	5,119,070
2003-04	5,623,199
2004-05	7,805,970
2005-06	4,681,236
2006-07	9,038,698
2007-08	17,949,137

 

After the flooding in parts of England during the summer of 2007, the Minister for Environment wrote out to each of the eight regional strategic co-ordinating groups (SCG) asking for confirmation that they were adequately prepared to respond to similar events, should they occur in Scotland. All SCGs indicated  they had assessed the flooding risk in their area, and had undertaken planning for such eventualities. In January 2008, a further self-evaluation was commissioned by the Scottish Government from SCGs in relation to their planning for a wider set of extreme weather events that might arise as a result of climate change, including coastal and inland flooding. Responses are currently being collated and evaluated by the Scottish Government. Further work is planned to enhance the measurement of preparedness for a range of emergencies.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) flood map shows an estimate of the areas of Scotland with a 0.5% or greater probability of being flooded in any given year “ in other words, those areas estimated to have a one in 200 or greater chance of being flooded in any given year. It provides an indication of areas likely to flood but is not appropriate for assessing risk to individual properties and cannot replace studies at a local scale. Information on housing developments approved by planning authorities in these areas is not held centrally.

The total project value of the flood prevention schemes under the 1961 act which started in each year from 2000 to 2008 is in the following table:

Financial Year	Total Project Value (£)
1999-2000	125,752.00
2000-01	12,967,040.00
2001-02	1,934,230.80
2002-03	10,969,307.00
2003-04	4,026,898.00
2004-05	1,354,107.00
2005-06	-
2006-07	67,635,745.72
2007-08	89,556,070.00

 

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency''s Floodline 0845 988 1188 is a 24 hour telephone number available to the public that gives the option of listening to a recorded message for a local area or being put through to an operator to answer any other flood-related problems and questions. Operators can put the public through to specialist staff to answer more specific or specialized questions.

Improvements to existing flood defences are a matter for local authorities to determine. Any planned improvements to existing flood defences around the coastline of the Forth Estuary lie with the relevant local authorities and not the Scottish Government.

On 13 August 2007, the Scottish Government confirmed to Falkirk Council the Bo''ness Flood Prevention Scheme. The £8 million Bo''ness scheme proposes improving defences to provide continuous embankment/barriers along the foreshore of the Forth between Kinniel in the west to Carriden at the east of the town to protect the town centre from tidal floods.

Under the Coast Protection Act, 1949, local authorities have wide powers to carry out coast protection work, as may appear to them to be necessary or expedient for the protection of any land from coastal erosion. However, it is for local authorities to determine when to use these powers in light of the needs of their local area.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency provides information about flood defences for homes and businesses on its website. Specific information about the type of products available for flood prevention can be found at:

www.sepa.org.uk/pdf/publications/leaflets/flood/alleviation.pdf.