Chamber and committees

The 2009 Flood Risk management Act allocates clear roles and responsibilities for managing flood risk in Scotland. In accordance with this the Scottish Government works in in partnership with local authorities. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring local accountability by leading on the preparation of local flood risk management plans, which supplement the national strategies prepared by SEPA and ensure actions are locally targeted and delivered.

The Grangemouth Flood Protection Scheme is exceptional in terms of scale and financial cost. As such it requires careful consideration and the Scottish Government will continue to work with Falkirk Council to ensure that the scheme brought forward delivers for the local community and economy.

Unite’s Fair Hospitality Charter contains many important elements which the Scottish Government continues to promote through Fair Work First, such as payment of at least the Real Living Wage, appropriate channels for effective workers’ voice through trade union recognition and no inappropriate use of zero hours contracts.

Everyone should expect to be properly rewarded for their work and treated correctly with respect, free from any forms of harassment. The Scottish Government is committed to working with trade unions and industry to ensure Scotland is the best place to live, work, invest and do business, and Fair Work is the foundation to this.

There remain many challenges in our key sectors, therefore it is essential that we all work together – Government, employers, employees and trade unions – to create a hospitality industry with fair work at its heart and for all. The industry-led National Tourism Strategy; Outlook 2030 commits to support and enable the adoption of fair work practices in Scotland’s tourism and hospitality sector.

The outcomes and recommendations of the independent Fair Work Convention inquiry into hospitality, due in Spring 2024, will be reviewed to provide further insight into how we can increase the adoption of fair work practices for the sector.

The Scottish Government looks forward to continuing partnership working with unions and industry.

Under the Flood Risk Management Act (2009), it is for local authorities to develop, design and deliver flood protection schemes within their area. It is therefore the responsibility of local authorities to predict the likely economic damages resulting from flooding in their areas as part of producing a robust business case for their proposed flood protection schemes. The Scottish Government will continue to work collaboratively with Falkirk Council and input where required to ensure that their estimates are robust and up to date.

The Scottish Government recognises the potential risks posed by PFAS in drinking water and works closely with Scottish Water and the Drinking Water Quality Regulator to ensure risk is minimised. The Public Water Supply (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022 were brought into force to align with the EU's recast Drinking Water Directive's (rDWD) updated list of parameters, which sets statutory limits on the combined concentration of a group of 20 named PFAS substances. These Regulations broadly align with the Royal Society of Chemistry's recommendation to limit the sum of PFAS to 10 nanograms per litre (0.1 µg/l)

There is also a legislative requirement for Scottish Water to carry out risk assessments of all drinking water supplies, and PFAS risk is assessed for every water supply. A further statutory duty is that Scottish Water must sample for any substance where it considers that there is risk, and this would include any other PFAS compounds that are not listed in the Regulations.

In line with the Public Water Supply (Scotland) Regulations 2014, Scottish Water is required to carry out risk assessments to assess the likelihood of the presence of the most widespread PFAS compounds in its drinking water supplies. Where risk is identified, controls must be determined. It is a matter for Scottish Water to decide what treatment technology is necessary, however, the Drinking Water Quality Regulator has provided guidance on the types of treatments that can be effective in removing PFAS from drinking water.

The DWQR is participating in a UK wide research project on the effectiveness of different treatment processes for the removal of PFAS that is led by Cranfield University; this research is due for completion by June 2024.

The Scottish Government welcomed the publication of ‘Scotland’s Islamophobia’ – the report into Islamophobia in Scotland by the Cross-Party Group (CPG) on Tackling Islamophobia, and will continue to carefully consider the recommendations made.

The report shines a light on some serious issues faced by our Muslim communities in Scotland and we are committed to ensuring that Islamophobia is not tolerated. The Scottish Government is funding and working closely with organisations working to tackle racist and religious intolerance, as well as improve the lives of minority ethnic and religious communities in Scotland.

I have committed to attend a meeting with the CPG in early 2024 to discuss interventions to tackle Islamophobia in Scotland, including the recommendations within the CPG report ‘Scotland’s Islamophobia’.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust are a valued partner of the Scottish Government in delivering locally driven projects that address the climate and nature crises across Scotland. Funding for these projects is usually provided via government agencies or other public bodies, and comprehensive information is not therefore held centrally. However, funding received by the Scottish Wildlife Trust is set out in their annual financial reports published on their website at https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/about-us/our-publications/ . The latest report was published on 2 August 2023.

The Programme for Government 2023-24, published September 2023, states that in the coming year we will ‘publish a 20% car kilometre reduction route map, promoting sustainable behaviours when planning a journey, and reducing both our reliance on cars and our transport emissions’. Publication is expected in the coming months.

The extent of any potential pollution in the Grangemouth area would be dependent on the extent and depth of any flood event and any damage caused.

Public Health Scotland records inpatient admissions to hospital as a result of a dog attack.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21589 on 5 October 2023, which contains data from Public Health Scotland on the number of inpatient and day case admissions to hospital where a diagnosis of dog attack (bite or strike) was recorded, from 2010 to 2022, in Scotland.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers