Chamber and committees

We aim to ensure the arrangements in place covering spending decisions on flood risk management are transparent.

In 2016, agreement was reached between Scottish Ministers and COSLA on a new strategic funding plan for flood protection schemes. The agreement guarantees that until 2026 the level of flooding capital grant in the local government settlement is set at a minimum of £42 million per annum. A further £150 million for flood risk management was confirmed in 2020. Support to local authorities in a given year is included in the Scottish Budget that is considered and approved by the Scottish Parliament. The annual allocations are set out in the relevant Local Government Finance Circulars.

The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 provides the framework for effective management of flood risk. In January 2022, SEPA published 14 regional Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMP) for the period 2022-2028. Approved by Scottish Ministers, they have been prepared in collaboration with all 32 local authorities, Scottish Water and other organisations with a responsibility or interest in managing flooding. They have also been shaped in consultation with the public.

These plans complement the separate local flood risk management plans that will be published later this year. The local plans will explain in more detail how the actions set out in the 14 FRMPs will be delivered. They are published by the local authority who is nominated as the lead local authority for the Local Plan District.

These arrangements give local authorities the certainty they need to deliver the broad range of actions set out in the regional and local plans, recognising local needs and priorities.

The Energy Sector which includes resilience of the electricity network is reserved and the responsibility of the UK Government.

The Scottish Government works closely with the UK Government, electricity network operators and owners to ensure Scotland’s energy networks are resilient to a variety of risks, including flooding and other climate change related factors.

In 2020, we published the ‘Keeping Scotland Running’ Guidance Suite, which seeks to support the delivery of Scotland’s Critical Infrastructure Resilience (CIR) Strategy. This Guidance Suite comprises seven separate guidance documents designed to equip and enable CIR stakeholders to work together to build resilience across the critical infrastructure sectors in Scotland. Two of these guides specifically look at Building Resilience to Natural Hazards and Building Resilience to Climate Change (Adaption).

The National Planning Framework 3 (NPF3) and Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) also contain planning policies on managing flood risk and drainage. This includes specific policies which deal with the development management and development planning aspects of managing flood risk.

Our approach to building resilience to the impacts of climate change more widely is set out in the statutory Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme 2019-2024. One of the high level outcomes the Programme is structured around is that “Our society’s supporting systems are resilient to climate change”.

First-dose vaccine appointments for children aged 5-11 at higher risk from Covid-19, or who are a household contact of someone who is immunosuppressed, began scheduling from late January 2022. Appointments for first doses for all 5-11s are scheduled from 19 March with older children invited first and families invited together wherever possible. NHS Lanarkshire have reported adequate supply having run a number of paediatric clinics to date and continue to offer vaccines to those who are eligible. If the member has received individual queries regarding supply, I would ask them to write to me with details for further investigation.

Regulations amending the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 were made today.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment (No.6) Regulations 2022 amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 and will take effect on 4 April 2022.

The Amendment Regulations remove the requirement to wear a face covering for persons who enter or remain indoors within a place of worship, and in any other indoor public place whilst it is being used as a place of worship.

These Regulations also remove the requirement for those at a marriage ceremony, civil partnership registration, funeral or commemorative event related to the end of a person’s life to wear a face covering for the duration of the event. The requirement is removed in respect of such ceremonies and events in all indoor places.

The Regulations have been published at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ssi/2022/123

The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce legislation to sanction residential park owners who do not supply timely and fully completed written statements to their residents. The Mobile Homes Act 1983 states that if the owner has failed to give the occupier a written statement, the occupier may apply to the court for an order requiring the owner to give him a written statement.

The Scottish Government fully appreciates that many students are facing higher energy bills and increased financial hardship as a consequence of the current cost of living crisis.

Over £37 million of hardship funding has been provided to colleges and universities by the Scottish Government since June 2021. These funds are available for colleges and universities to use up until 31 July 2022.

Students in further or higher education currently experiencing financial hardship should apply to their college or university for support from Discretionary Funds. I wrote to college and university principals last month asking them to continue to prioritise the allocation of hardship funds to those students most in need, and to take account of the impact of rising energy bills.

The Scottish Government has also recently announced a £350 uplift to the undergraduate student loan package from 2022-23. This represents the first step in delivering our manifesto commitment to provide student support equivalent to the living wage over the next three years. This increase ensures that the most disadvantaged students in higher education will receive bursary and loan support of up to £8,100.

The work on the payment panel research was paused due to other Covid-related work. The development of a specification for the gathering of vital data and evidence has resumed and we would hope to share this specification with the Law Society of Scotland and the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association after summer. The co-operation of the profession in building this evidence base will be crucial to this work which will underpin an evidence-based approach to setting payments for legal aid services in the future. The Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid was able to gather vital data with the support of the Law Society of England and Wales which helped inform the recommendations made. We would hope to gather similar data on the position of Scottish solicitors who deliver legal aid as part of the payment panel research.

This information is not held by the Scottish Government.

We intend to publish the first phase of this work, the Blue Economy Vision for Scotland, today. This vision sets out the Scottish Government’s long-term ambition for Scotland’s blue economy to 2045, promoting an approach that is consistent with Scotland’s National Performance Framework and our international obligations. It demonstrates how much we value our marine environment and its significance which is captured in the six outcomes that we want to achieve.

The six blue economy outcomes have been identified to respond to major challenges of our time, such as the climate and nature crises, just transition to zero, a blue recovery from Covid-19 and EU withdrawal. The outcomes also recognise our ambition for Scotland to be a global leader in providing healthy, quality and sustainably harvested food. They frame a direction of travel and provide focal points for our long term blue economy aspirations with the overall aim that by 2045, Scotland’s shared stewardship of our marine environment supports ecosystem health, improved livelihoods, economic prosperity, social inclusion and wellbeing.

A blue economy approach will also help us to realise our ambitions for a wellbeing economy in Scotland where the country’s successes are defined and measured beyond economic growth and Gross Domestic Product, and we emphasise the importance of addressing inequality. Human wellbeing is multi-dimensional and nature plays an important part in ensuring a high quality of life for our people. The vision demonstrates the importance of the marine environment and its significance in contributing to Scotland’s economy, well-being climate and biodiversity priorities.

Across the world, there are an increasing number of countries looking to introduce a blue economy approach to better balance their economic, societal and environmental challenges and opportunities in marine environments. This vision puts Scotland at the heart of this international movement to support global ocean governance.

The publication of the Blue Economy Vision for Scotland is consistent with our Programme for Government commitment to develop a Blue Economy Strategy and subsequent delivery plan to support a green recovery and just transition, with sustainable growth of the blue economy underpinned by environmental protection.

The document will be available to view on the Scottish Government website from today:

• The Blue Economy Vision for Scotland: http://www.gov.scot/ISBN/978-1-80435-258-8

The next step is to develop the programmes and policies to deliver these outcomes through a Blue Economy Action Plan.

As outlined in S6W-03519 answered on 5 October 2021, the Scottish Government will continue to take forward our No One Left Behind approach to employability from 1 April 2022.

No One Left Behind is transforming employment support in Scotland to deliver a system that is more tailored and responsive to the needs of people of all ages who want help and support on their journey towards and into work.

The local governance approach within No One Left Behind funds services through Local Employability Partnership’s (LEPs). LEPs bring together a range of partners including Skills Development Scotland, Department for Work and Pensions, Colleges, NHS, the third sector and other partners to design and deliver services that meet both individual and labour market needs in each local area. This type of partnership and collaboration is crucial if we are to tackle poverty and inequalities that impact too many people in Scotland.

Helping families to increase incomes from employment and earnings is central to a balanced and sustained approach to tackling poverty. The Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-26: ‘Best Start, Bright Futures’, recognises the value of the No One Left Behind approach and the opportunity to increase investment in services which provide the holistic and connected support parents need to enter and progress in employment.

We are committed to continuing to work collaboratively with our partners in local government, the third sector, the private sector and others to tackle poverty and secure better outcomes for people, employers and communities across 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