Chamber and committees

Under section 20 of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has produced, and mapped, a high level strategic analysis of areas where the implementation of natural flood management measures would be most effective. This is the first ever national source of this information. The maps are indicative and identify the areas where more detailed assessments should take place. They include opportunities for runoff reduction and floodplain storage in wetlands. The outcome of the assessments, which will consider information such as the location and nature of flood risk, current land use, and existing protection, are being captured in flood risk management strategies as a recommended list of actions. The SEPA natural flood management maps will also be considered as part of the land use planning process to ensure that natural attenuation opportunities, such as wetlands, are protected.

As part of the flood risk management planning process, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), working in partnership with local authorities and Scottish Water, will select the most sustainable actions to meet the agreed objectives for managing significant flood risks in each Potentially Vulnerable Area. These will be based on a high level appraisal of costs and impact. The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 then requires SEPA to prioritise those actions, together with an indicative date for delivery by flood risk management planning cycle: Cycle 1 – Before 2022 Cycle 2 – 2022-27 After Cycle 2 – Beyond 2027 Where natural flood management measures have been selected as the most sustainable actions to meet the stated objectives, they will be included as part of the prioritisation process.

Cost benefit analysis is a decision support tool that will help to identify projects which maximise value for money in the reduction of flood risk. Within each flood risk management plan, actions to reduce flood risk will be given a priority based on ranking at a range of scales from national to local authority areas. These priorities will then be used by local authorities to determine when actions will be delivered. The delivery of actions set out in the plan must be the priority for local authorities, and any other planned actions to reduce flood risk cannot be taken forward at the expense of those prioritised in the plan.

The Scottish Government provides funding of £42 million a year through the local government settlement until 2015-16, for local authorities to continue to invest in major new flood protection schemes. Local authorities were able to apply for this funding on the basis of criteria agreed by the Scottish Government and COSLA. After the last round of applications, all of the available funding until 2015-16 was allocated. Local authorities are also free to allocate additional resources to flooding from within the overall funding provided to them by the Scottish Government and from within their own resources. The Scottish Government and COSLA have set up a working group to agree a methodology for distributing the capital funding for flood protection from 2016 onwards in such a way as to ensure it will take account of the development of local flood risk management plans.

The Scottish Government does not have interim targets in addition to the overall target of creating 100,000 hectares of new woodland over the period 2012-22.

The woodland creation elements of the new Scottish Rural Development Programme include policies which have been designed to increase the demand for new woodland creation grants.

At this stage there is uncertainty about the overall level of investment available due to UK Government changes to Energy Company Obligation (ECO). But we will continue to use our Home Energy Efficiency Programmes (HEEPS) funding to maximise leverage of private sector funding from the energy companies seeking to meet their obligations under ECO. Latest statistics from the UK Government, released in December 2014, show that between January 2013 to the end of September 2014, 11.7% of the total energy efficiency measures under ECO were delivered in Scotland - Scotland has 9.3% of households in Great Britain. These figures include ECO measures delivered in Scotland under HEEPS.

We have made very clear our commitment to improving energy efficiency to help address fuel poverty. We have allocated over half a billion pounds since 2009 on a raft of fuel poverty and energy efficiency programmes, and the recent announcement of extra funding for our fuel poverty programmes will increase funding for our energy efficiency and fuel poverty programmes from £94 million in the current year to £114 million next. As the most recent Scottish House Condition Survey results show, our investment to improve domestic energy efficiency has helped mitigated against the 7% rise in fuel prices in the past year.

This government remains committed to eradicating fuel poverty. Unfortunately, we only have the powers to influence one of the levers to tackle fuel poverty, the energy efficiency of the house. That is why we have allocated over half a billion pounds since 2009 on a raft of fuel poverty and energy efficiency programmes and, as the most recent Scottish House Condition Survey results show, our investment to improve domestic energy efficiency has helped mitigated against the seven per cent rise in fuel prices in the past year.

We continue to focus on increasing the energy efficiency of homes in Scotland and last week announced an additional £20 million to support fuel poverty and energy efficiency programmes in 2016, taking our funding for 2015-16 to £114 million.

We are also urging the UK Government to use its powers to increase the level of Warm Home Discount and fund that through central resources. And on 8 January 2015 the energy minister wrote to the major energy suppliers seeking assurance that consumers will feel the benefit of lower oil prices at the earliest opportunity.

Information on the number of residential properties retrofitted each year by scheme and by local authority is available for the years 2009 to 2013 from the Energy Saving Trust website at the following link:

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/domestic/sites/default/files/Getting%20Support%20-%20Programme%20statistics%20-%20PDF%20-%20HE%20Summary%20Report%202009%20-%20LC%20-%20July%202014.pdf

Information on delivery for 2013-14 by scheme and by local authority is published on the Energy Saving Trust website at the following link:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/warmhomes/heeps

The information for our Area Based Schemes does not include data on the number of residential properties retrofitted but instead sets out how many measures have been installed. Some properties benefit from more than one measure.

On 8 January 2015 we published a good practice guide, written in conjunction with the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland, to provide clarity on the options available to local authorities with regard to setting 20 mph speed restrictions throughout Scotland.

The Scottish Government assisted with an evaluation of the City of Edinburgh’s 20 mph speed limit pilot scheme in South Central Edinburgh in August 2013. This demonstrated its success in reducing vehicle speeds and promoting positive attitudes to 20 mph limits. In particular, residents viewed the pilot benefited the safety for children walking about the area, safety for children to play in the street, better conditions for walking, less traffic incidents, and better cycling conditions, thus helping to promote active travel.