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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-24036

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-10494 by Roseanna Cunningham on 15 August 2017, which of the "42 formal Flood Protection Schemes or engineering works proposed for 2016-21" are currently (a) under construction and (b) at the planning or other stage of development, broken down by (i) expected completion date, including the reason for any date being beyond 2021, (ii) the number of properties that will be protected and (iii) the (A) initially forecast and (B) expected final cost of each.

Information has been shared in response to similar questions many times (at least annually) since Roseanna Cunningham answered on 15 August 2017, most recently in response to Willie Rennie MSP on 9 November 2023.

Local authorities are responsible for the development and delivery of flood protection schemes. The 2015-2021 Flood Risk Management Strategies included 42 formal flood protection schemes. Local authorities were expected to start work on development of these schemes by 2021.

Flood protection schemes can have significant impacts on individuals, communities and the environment, and so require careful and detailed planning and consultation, it was recognised that construction work may not be completed within the 2015-2021 timeframe.

15 of the flood schemes have now been completed.

Schemes (a) under construction are as follows:

Scheme	(ii) Properties protected	(i) Completion Date	(iii A) Initial cost (£ million) (1)	( iii B) Estimated final cost (£ million) (2)
Upper Garnock	600	2024	15.5	18.5
Hawick	970	2024	37.4	78.6
Campbeltown	770	2024	9.3	15.2
Millport Coastal	657	2024	12.1	48.6
Stranraer	350	2024	0.4	1.4

Schemes (b) under development are as follows:

Scheme	Stage	(ii) Properties protected	(iii A) Initial cost (£ million) (1)	( iii B) Estimated Final Cost of Scheme (2)
Kilmacolm – Glenmosston Burn	Confirmed (3)	Not held	0.5	0.5
Comrie	Confirmed (3)	189	15.7	40.0
Quarrier’s Village	Confirmed (3)	60	0.2	0.2
Dumfries - Whitesands	Confirmed (3)	166	18.9	37.5
Water of Leith (Coltbridge, Gorgie, Saughton) Phase 3	Confirmed (3)	75	Not held	Not held
Mill Burn Millport	Confirmed (3)	124	1.1	1.7
Musselburgh	Under development	2500	8.9	95.9
Milnathort	Under development	79	1.9	0.9
Dumbarton - Gruggies Burn	Under development	370	14.5	20.0
Newton Stewart/ River Cree	Under development	270	7.5	19.1
South Kinross	Under development	Not held	3.2	15.1
Bridge of Allan	Under development	Not held	4.4	17.0
Callander	Under development	30	2.4	4.7
Haddington	Under development	320	8.5	8.5
Stirling	Under development	810	26.2	85.6
Grangemouth FPS	Under development	2980	111.5	420
St Andrews - Kinness Burn	Under development	133	3.2	3.2
South Fords	Under development	58	1.4	1.4
Scone	Under development	44	0.7	0.8

(1) Note: Initial costs as provided by local authorities in 2016-17.

(2) Note: Final Scheme costs are the latest estimates provided by local authorities. Differences between these latest estimates and initial cost estimates arise as a result of inflationary pressures and because flood protection schemes are put forward for prioritisation at various stages of their development to fit with Flood Risk Management Planning cycle set out in the FRM Act. Costs are revised over time as designs are finalised and more detailed investigations are carried out and as new information emerges.

Schemes will only be taken forward for construction if they receive the necessary statutory and regulatory approvals so the expected completion date is not yet known.

More detailed information on each of the schemes can be obtained from the relevant local authorities whose responsibility it is to develop and deliver flood protection schemes and who are best placed to answer specific questions on each of the schemes.

(3) Note: Formally confirmed under Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act (2009).

Question reference: S6T-01736

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an assessment of the state of readiness of Scotland’s frontline services in response to the yellow warnings in place for freezing temperatures over the next 10 days.

Question reference: S6W-24030

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 12 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it provided to Shelter, the National Campaign for Homeless People Limited in 2022.

Shelter, the National Campaign for Homeless People Limited includes two registered charities: England and Wales (charity number 263710) and Scotland (charity number SCO02327).The Scottish Government only provided funding to Shelter Scotland in 2022. The three projects funded were the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, the Scottish Housing Law Service and the Private Rented Sector Homeless Prevention in Dundee project.

The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership’s main objective was to bring as many of Scotland’s long-term empty homes back into use as is possible and to have a dedicated empty homes officer working across all 32 local authorities by March 2022.

The main objective of the grant for the Scottish Housing Law Service was to provide legal advice and representation to those seeking to exercise their legal rights to retain housing, access housing or improve their housing conditions.

The main objective of the grant for the Private Rented Sector Homeless Prevention in Dundee project was to prevent homelessness in the private rented sector by taking an early intervention approach with households at risk of building up arrears to prevent evictions into homelessness.

Question reference: S6W-24033

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 11 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it provided to the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland in 2022.

The Scottish Government provided funding to the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland in 2022 to support the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award.

The objectives for this funding were:

to raise public awareness of the social, economic and environmental importance of good architecture;
to act as a spur for excellence by example; and
to raise the profile of the best Scottish architecture at home and abroad.

Question reference: S6W-24032

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it provided to MND Scotland in 2022.

Question reference: S6W-24031

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 11 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it provided to the Nairn Trust in 2022.

Question reference: S6O-02974

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is for the maintenance and rebuilding of road infrastructure.

Question reference: S6W-24034

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 10 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it provided to Early Years Scotland in 2022.

The Scottish Government set the following outcomes for the funding provided to Early Years Scotland in 2021-22 and 2022-23 through the Children, Young People & Families Early Intervention Fund and Adult Learning & Empowering Communities Fund:

1. Children have improved quality of life.

2. More Early Years Professionals benefit from dedicated EYS membership support.

3. More Early Years Professionals have improved skills and knowledge.

4. Policy makers and practitioners have better understanding of the needs of children, families and the ELC community overall.

5. We will take steps to promote, respect, protect and fulfil the rights of children and young people and increase awareness of the UNCRC amongst our staff and stakeholders. We will also promote the UNCRC throughout the creation and development of our programmes, projects, policies and procedures in relation to this funding.

Question reference: S6W-24024

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it provided to Hayfield Limited in 2022.

Question reference: S6W-24025

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it provided to Lochaber Sensory Care in 2022.