Seòmar agus comataidhean

11 July 2023

Mercedes Villalba (North East Scotland) (Scottish Labour Party): To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made on large-scale water infrastructure development projects, such as reservoir expansions, to increase Scotland’s water resilience in the future.

Scottish Water, as the publicly owned provider of services in Scotland, is required to plan for the future provision of water through a sustainable water resource management approach; planning ensures that Scottish Water secures continuous, safe, clean drinking water for customers whilst supporting economic growth and protecting the environment. Scottish Water’s water resource planning looks 25 years ahead, taking account of water resource availability and the changing demands for water and making sure that these balance. Scottish Water also uses climate change scenarios to inform long-term investment requirements which may include additional sources of water or increased connectivity across the country. Scottish Water currently has no plans to build additional reservoirs.

Investment needs are reviewed for each regulatory period. This will consider the need to invest in resilience measures to ensure that services can be maintained and protected given the growing impacts of climate change. An example of this is the Glasgow Resilience Project, details of which are on Scottish Water’s website at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/in-your-area/investments-in-your-area/220421-glasgow-resilience-project .

Scottish Water also has well-developed drought plans and has put these in place to ensure that public supplies are maintained. Investment in resilience measures over many years means that Scottish Water has ensured that supplies have been maintained through prolonged dry periods in recent years. Scottish Water will continue to focus on the efficient management of its existing water resources, which includes a range of measures from leakage reduction to encouraging customers to use water efficiently. Considering how we all use water and can minimise consumption is important in improving resilience to climate change and protecting the environment.

The latest annual report was published on 30 June 2023 at https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotland-hydro-nation-annual-report-2022/

The main aim for the private water supply connections project is to build resilience to private water supply communities affected by water scarcity. The funding is being spent to determine whether a connection to the public water main is a viable option and some communities will be shortlisted to have the public water network extended into their area so households can make a connection.

So far, five pilot projects in Aberdeenshire have been chosen and Scottish Water have carried out Water Impact Assessments for each to better understand the feasibility and cost of connections. Three of the pilot communities have been shortlisted to have the public water network extended into their areas using a selection criteria that maximised the connection potential and ensured value for money. They will be notified shortly and the design of the new public water network for these areas is underway.

Overall, the results of the Water Impact Assessments were positive. The studies indicated that there was capacity in the network to support all of the pilot communities. The process also highlighted that these studies can remove a significant cost barrier for groups seeking a connection, which can range from between £3,000 and £25,000 without a guarantee that a connection can be made. As a result, I have asked my officials to establish a two-year, Scotland-wide Water Impact Assessment programme so that other regions impacted by water scarcity can benefit. Local authorities have been asked to nominate eligible communities.

It takes some time to carry out these assessments, liaise with communities, design and then deliver the project and therefore no properties have been connected since June 2022. I have asked Scottish Water to hire a project manager to work on the project full- time. When this in place I expect further progress to be made.

The comment I made during the members’ business debate on motion S6M-09174 on 22 June 2023, was in reference to contributions to the Scottish Government consultation Land Reform in a Net Zero Nation.

An analysis report of responses to the consultation has now been published and is available to view at: Landreform in a Net Zero nation: consultation analysis . In particular, section 2 of the analysis report (Criteria for large-scale holdings) and section 11 (Assessing impact) consider responses to the proposed threshold, and any potential unintended consequences of the policy. In addition to this analysis report, where permission was granted by respondents, consultation responses have been published in full .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-16433 on 25 April 2023. 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

Offshore wind developers, oil and gas companies and relevant trade unions have already expressed their support for a solution which helps facilitate a fairer and more streamlined workforce transition across offshore sectors.

Through its Just Transition Fund, the Scottish Government continues to support a cross sectoral Energy Skills Passport solution, and we will work closely with all stakeholders to help promote its successful delivery.

The ethical framework will be used to deliver investment which meets the aims of the Scottish Government’s Interim Principles for Responsible Investment in Natural Capital. Adherence to these principles is set out in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the project partners and the framework will be secured through the terms of the MoU. If the principles are not adhered to, NatureScot and the Project Board will work to address this and, if necessary, NatureScot will withdraw from the partnership if the investment does not deliver against the principles in the way intended.

The project partners have not started the public consultation and engagement stage of the project yet and are working to secure resource to do this for the local pilot projects. They will engage with communities as soon as resource is in place for the engagement activities in order to shape the pilots and identify how best to deliver community benefits. The project team are currently working to design the engagement process.

The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer intends to complete the Scottish Government’s review of homecare medicines services by the end of the current financial year. Representation will be sought from all stakeholders with an interest in the successful delivery of the service, including healthcare professionals and patients.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on electricity generation in a form that can be broken down into the spatial area occupied by each renewable generating station.

The Scottish Government receives data on electricity generation from the UK Government Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. This data is not broken down to site level.