Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to the question S3W-25594 on 30 July 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The Scottish Government currently funds improvements to rivers through a number of funding streams, to deliver the objectives of the river basin management plans. These funding streams include the Scottish Rural Development Programme, a restoration fund managed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, funding to fisheries boards and trusts and natural flood management demonstration work.

There is no information held centrally on how many jobs such funding might directly support.

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to control all impacts on the water environment with the aim of achieving good ecological status for water bodies by 2015. The directive introduced river basin management plans (RBMPs) to manage our water environment. These are required to set out the environmental pressures and what can be done to address them. This includes steps to identify and address causes of river pollution. Draft RBMPs for the Solway Tweed river basin districts have now been consulted on, and SEPA will publish both RBMPs in December 2009.

The draft RBMPs are available on the SEPA website at:

http://www.sepa.org.uk/water/river_basin_planning.aspx.

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to control all impacts on the water environment with the aim of achieving good ecological status for water bodies by 2015. The directive introduced river basin management plans (RBMPs) to manage our water environment. These are required to set out the environmental pressures and what can be done to address them. This includes steps to improve fish migration. Draft RBMPs for the Solway Tweed river basin districts have now been consulted on, and SEPA will publish both RBMPs in December 2009.

The draft RBMPs are available on the SEPA website at:

http://www.sepa.org.uk/water/river_basin_planning.aspx.

The Scottish Government currently funds strategic research into enhancing water quality through the Scottish Rural Development Programme, to deliver the objectives of the Water Framework Directive river basin management plans. This research includes aspects of catchment management, understanding sources and movement of diffuse pollution, impacts of geomorphology and engineering upon water bodies, and adaptation of water resource management to respond to the pressures associated with climate change.

The Scottish Government is also funding research on agriculture and biodiversity, aiming to minimise the environmental impacts (including diffuse pollution) of crop and livestock systems. This research also addresses the integration of land and water management for flood alleviation, impacts of climate change, nitrogen deposition and land management on the biodiversity of wetlands.

There is no information held centrally on how many jobs such funding might directly support.

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to control all impacts on the water environment with the aim of achieving good ecological status for water bodies by 2015. The directive introduced river basin management plans (RBMPs) to manage our water environment. These are required to set out the environmental pressures and what can be done to address them. This includes steps to restore and protect wetlands. Draft RBMPs for the Solway Tweed river basin districts have now been consulted on, and SEPA will publish both RBMPs in December 2009.

The draft RBMPs are available on the SEPA website at:

http://www.sepa.org.uk/water/river_basin_planning.aspx.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has statutory responsibility for controlling potential sources of pollution from sites it regulates in urban areas. These include emissions from industrial facilities, sewage treatment works and surface water drainage and waste management activities. SEPA is able to determine the location of environmental emission sources within regulated sites and monitor and assess the accumulative environmental impacts of such emissions. In addition, SEPA''s environmental surveillance monitoring enables it to trace and investigate any unauthorised emissions, together with any potential pollution incidents notified by members of the public.

Additionally, the Scottish Government assists local authorities to implement their duties under the Environment Act 1995 to review and assess air quality by issuing comprehensive guidance, which can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/waste-and-pollution/Pollution-1/16215/TG09.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) resources and functions are not assigned specifically to either urban or non-urban sources of pollution, therefore the following estimate of costs is very crude.

Approximately two thirds of SEPA''s activities are associated in some way with the tracing of urban pollution, accounting for approximately £53 million and 900 staff. This staffing estimate includes those staff directly involved in the regulation and monitoring of potential urban impacts (such as environment protection officers, legal staff and science staff) and also SEPA''s support service staff such as human resources, admin and finance.

Local authorities in Scotland receive, as part of the financial support from the Scottish Government, a contribution towards funding of air quality assessment work in their areas. The Scottish Government also provides grant support of about £1.5 million per annum to urban local authorities who have declared air quality management areas under the Environment Act 1995.

Complementary investment under the Home Insulation Scheme, which will be in addition to the £15 million allocated by the Scottish Government, will be delivered mainly from Carbon Emissions Reduction Target activity and owner contributions. The amount of investment contributed from these sources will depend on the uptake of measures under the first phase of the scheme which will cover at least 90,000 homes. Complementary investment will also be provided from local councils and other local partners in the selected areas. Complementary investment from some of the local councils selected for the first phase of the Home Insulation Scheme is subject to final confirmation and approval.

Support to local carers'' projects is a matter for local authorities and health boards to determine on the basis of their local priorities. The Scottish Government supports national carers'' organisations through grants made under section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. Over the next three years we are committed to awards totalling £972,602 to five organisations. We recognise the importance of providing clarity over funding timescales and decisions so that organisations are able to plan effectively. We therefore work to ensure that notice about grant renewal arrangements is given at the earliest opportunity. Applications are now open for a new round of section 10 grants to be awarded as from 1 April 2010.