Chamber and committees

While employment law is reserved, our Fair Work approach seeks to improve workers’ rights and conditions and aims to address women’s workplace inequalities by encouraging employers to take action to tackle occupational segregation and reduce gender pay gaps across the labour market in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is grateful for all of the detailed work conducted by the Chair and Review Group members to produce this important independent report. We are giving careful consideration to all of the recommendations, including the suggestion of establishing an Economic Democracy Group, and will publish a formal response in due course.

Our updated Vessels and Ports Plan was published on 1 February 2024 as part of the Islands Connectivity Plan. It sets a target average vessel age of around 15 years by the end of this decade. The delivery of the six new major CalMac vessels currently under construction, and an accompanying programme of disposals, will support this. Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd are now procuring seven new small vessels for CalMac. The Vessels and Ports Plan proposes a programme of further investments including vessel replacements for Mallaig-Lochboisdale, Gourock-Dunoon and Kilcreggan, Craignure-Oban, and the Northern Isles freighters.

There are no plans for compensation to be offered to Storas Uibhist for any business lost during the ongoing development of the Gasay proposals. Any such scheme ultimately draws resources otherwise intended for the operation of ferry services and associated projects.

The importance of this project and the future of the route to the communities it serves, is well understood by both Scottish Ministers and the three organisations involved in leading the project. Developing a robust Business Case is essential in underpinning decisions against the current fiscal backdrop.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-28575 on 12 August 2024 . 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-28572 on 12 August 2024. 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

SEPA’s National Flood Risk Assessment (NFRA) underpins the Flood Risk Management Planning process in Scotland. It identifies potentially vulnerable areas (PVAs) where a multiagency approach is likely to be required to address flood risk. This ensures the process is nationally consistent.

The NFRA uses SEPA’s national flood hazard maps which include rivers, the sea and surface water. This flood map data provides quality assured nationally valuable resource in support of strategic flood risk decisions.

SEPA’s maps can be viewed freely from its website and in addition, the full suite of data is shared with partners and other organisations to support their flood risk management and public bodies’ duties.

Once a strategic risk has been identified through the Flood Risk Management Planning process, more detailed work including hydraulic modelling can be undertaken to understand and confirm the risk and potential actions to mitigate it. Local authorities are responsible for developing this detailed modelling for flood protection schemes.

For the last 15 years the Scottish Government has provided Local Authorities with £42m per annum for flood resilience through the general capital grant and we have committed to continue that until 2026. We have also committed an additional £150m over the course of this Parliament to deliver improved flood resilience.

The current distribution agreement is that 80% of available funding is allocated to the remaining schemes on the cycle one programme, and 20% allocated to local authorities to fund other actions within Flood Risk Management Plans.

A joint COSLA/ Scottish Government Flood Risk Management Funding Working Group has been set up to discuss funding and governance of flood resilience actions in Scotland. The group includes representatives from COSLA, SEPA, local authority Directors of Finance and flood officers, and the Scottish Government.

This group has put a series of recommendations to Scottish Ministers and COSLA leaders to improve the affordability of cycle one and will make further recommendations as required.

A Flood Protection Scheme is a major place-based intervention. Local Authorities take the lead on their development and delivery, because they are best placed to understand local needs and opportunities. Like all place-based interventions, the design of a new flood protection scheme should consider how it interacts with, and on, other activities in that place.

A joint COSLA/ Scottish Government Flood Risk Management Funding Working Group has been set up to discuss funding and governance of flood resilience actions in Scotland and make recommendations to Cosla and Scottish Ministers on cycle 1 and cycle 2 flood protection schemes. The group includes representatives from COSLA, SEPA, local authority Directors of Finance and flood officers, and Scottish Government officials.

The work of this group continues with some recommendations already agreed by Ministers and COSLA Leaders whilst further recommendations are being developed.