Chamber
Plenary, 26 Jun 2008
26 Jun 2008 · S3 · Plenary
Item of business
Flooding and Flood Management
I echo the mostly positive comments of previous speakers. I thank the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee and its clerks for all their work in preparing the excellent report on flooding and flood management. Perhaps I should declare an interest of sorts as a substitute member of the committee. In a parallel, perhaps, with my footballing career, I spent the entire season on the bench, although I did dream the adolescent dream and hope that I would be selected to play for five minutes in the cup final and would score the winning goal. In fairness, I was given one game when a Labour member failed a late fitness test and I heard fascinating evidence from the Met Office—more of which later.
I want to focus on two main areas: the link between climate change and flood prevention. As other members have said, the debate on flooding must be seen in the context of climate change. At one level, it cannot be avoided: even if all emissions were stopped tomorrow, the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere would continue warming the planet for generations. If we do not minimise the process and focus on a twin-track approach of adaptation and mitigation, our children will face a future of flood, famine and disease primarily, but not exclusively, in the developing world.
What does that mean for Scotland? It means that coastal and riverside communities will be subject to more severe and prolonged flooding, with knock-on effects for the insurance industry. We will see more frequent return periods of severe flooding as occurred in Perth, Moray and Stirling. That can result in tragic loss of life, as was witnessed in the Western Isles in recent years.
Climate change will also mean that urban drainage schemes will be unable to cope with increasing volumes of storm water. It will mean that buildings designed for the climate systems of the past will be subject to subsidence and that new buildings will need to meet tougher design standards. The Stern report made it clear that a 3°C increase in temperature could mean that United Kingdom expenditure on flooding had to increase from 0.1 per cent to between 0.2 and 0.4 per cent of gross domestic product.
I will concentrate my remaining remarks on flood warning. There is no real warning system for pluvial flooding in Scotland, and we heard from the committee convener Roseanna Cunningham earlier why that is—the lack of high-definition radar coverage compared with England and Wales. SEPA gives fluvial warnings and operates a national floodline service, which works well in providing information on flood warning and risk. However, as mentioned on page 42 of the committee report, Jennifer Main told the committee that during the floods in Elgin in 2002:
"I did not receive any warning. I just saw the flood waters coming nearer and nearer and I warned my neighbours."—[Official Report, Rural Affairs and Environment Committee, 19 February 2008; c 507.]
Moray Council has since developed a very good system, in which flood warnings can be communicated by e-mail, text, mobile telephone and fax.
SEPA has made a series of recommendations, including those for a national flood warning strategy, a risk assessment of critical infrastructure and work to improve the public's understanding of flood risk. In winding up the debate, will the minister say whether the Government will implement those SEPA recommendations?
Is pluvial flooding the poor relation, as the committee described it? We all know that flood warnings depend on a combination of meteorological and hydrological data, but the Met Office told the committee, at the meeting for which I was present, that the best technical standard is for weather radar to be able to detect rainfall at high resolution—about 2km—as that relates to the size of the weather systems that cause the most intense rainfall. As we have heard, the majority of Scotland—with the exception of Shetland, bizarrely—is currently covered by low-resolution radar, which is fine for weather forecasting. In effect, we have 100 per cent coverage on that.
However, high-resolution coverage is only at 50 per cent in Scotland, which is very poor. The gaps are mostly in our rural areas, such as Moray—which is, ironically, a high-risk area—the Highlands, Orkney and the south-west. In comparison, England and Wales have 95 per cent high-resolution coverage and so are in a much stronger position to predict floods. We need 100 per cent high-resolution radar coverage, which is recommendation 21 of the report.
I do not want our rural areas to become technological no-go zones, so I urge the minister—if he has a second to listen to the debate—to make blanket high-resolution coverage an urgent priority. My colleague Peter Peacock has been in touch with John Hirst, the Met Office chief executive, who has made it clear that we can conduct an assessment to work out how to take the next step, as has been done in England. We need an urgent assessment and a weather radar network review. That will examine the gaps in Scotland and cost about £75,000. The estimate from the evidence is that we probably need three new radar stations in Scotland.
We want to work as efficiently as possible, but the bigger question is how we can afford not to provide the most comprehensive radar coverage to predict flooding and avoid the worst human and financial misery that can result from it.
I commend the report to Parliament and urge members to support all its recommendations.
I want to focus on two main areas: the link between climate change and flood prevention. As other members have said, the debate on flooding must be seen in the context of climate change. At one level, it cannot be avoided: even if all emissions were stopped tomorrow, the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere would continue warming the planet for generations. If we do not minimise the process and focus on a twin-track approach of adaptation and mitigation, our children will face a future of flood, famine and disease primarily, but not exclusively, in the developing world.
What does that mean for Scotland? It means that coastal and riverside communities will be subject to more severe and prolonged flooding, with knock-on effects for the insurance industry. We will see more frequent return periods of severe flooding as occurred in Perth, Moray and Stirling. That can result in tragic loss of life, as was witnessed in the Western Isles in recent years.
Climate change will also mean that urban drainage schemes will be unable to cope with increasing volumes of storm water. It will mean that buildings designed for the climate systems of the past will be subject to subsidence and that new buildings will need to meet tougher design standards. The Stern report made it clear that a 3°C increase in temperature could mean that United Kingdom expenditure on flooding had to increase from 0.1 per cent to between 0.2 and 0.4 per cent of gross domestic product.
I will concentrate my remaining remarks on flood warning. There is no real warning system for pluvial flooding in Scotland, and we heard from the committee convener Roseanna Cunningham earlier why that is—the lack of high-definition radar coverage compared with England and Wales. SEPA gives fluvial warnings and operates a national floodline service, which works well in providing information on flood warning and risk. However, as mentioned on page 42 of the committee report, Jennifer Main told the committee that during the floods in Elgin in 2002:
"I did not receive any warning. I just saw the flood waters coming nearer and nearer and I warned my neighbours."—[Official Report, Rural Affairs and Environment Committee, 19 February 2008; c 507.]
Moray Council has since developed a very good system, in which flood warnings can be communicated by e-mail, text, mobile telephone and fax.
SEPA has made a series of recommendations, including those for a national flood warning strategy, a risk assessment of critical infrastructure and work to improve the public's understanding of flood risk. In winding up the debate, will the minister say whether the Government will implement those SEPA recommendations?
Is pluvial flooding the poor relation, as the committee described it? We all know that flood warnings depend on a combination of meteorological and hydrological data, but the Met Office told the committee, at the meeting for which I was present, that the best technical standard is for weather radar to be able to detect rainfall at high resolution—about 2km—as that relates to the size of the weather systems that cause the most intense rainfall. As we have heard, the majority of Scotland—with the exception of Shetland, bizarrely—is currently covered by low-resolution radar, which is fine for weather forecasting. In effect, we have 100 per cent coverage on that.
However, high-resolution coverage is only at 50 per cent in Scotland, which is very poor. The gaps are mostly in our rural areas, such as Moray—which is, ironically, a high-risk area—the Highlands, Orkney and the south-west. In comparison, England and Wales have 95 per cent high-resolution coverage and so are in a much stronger position to predict floods. We need 100 per cent high-resolution radar coverage, which is recommendation 21 of the report.
I do not want our rural areas to become technological no-go zones, so I urge the minister—if he has a second to listen to the debate—to make blanket high-resolution coverage an urgent priority. My colleague Peter Peacock has been in touch with John Hirst, the Met Office chief executive, who has made it clear that we can conduct an assessment to work out how to take the next step, as has been done in England. We need an urgent assessment and a weather radar network review. That will examine the gaps in Scotland and cost about £75,000. The estimate from the evidence is that we probably need three new radar stations in Scotland.
We want to work as efficiently as possible, but the bigger question is how we can afford not to provide the most comprehensive radar coverage to predict flooding and avoid the worst human and financial misery that can result from it.
I commend the report to Parliament and urge members to support all its recommendations.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Alex Fergusson):
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S3M-2208, in the name of Roseanna Cunningham, on the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee's report on floo...
Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP):
SNP
We all remember the images from England last year when very serious flooding took place in the middle of the summer. The devastation and distress were only t...
That the Parliament notes the conclusions and recommendations contained in the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee’s 2nd Report, 2008 (Session 3):
Flooding and Flood Management (SP Paper 96).
The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment (Richard Lochhead):
SNP
I warmly commend the committee for its thorough investigation and report, which are certainly helping to ensure that flooding remains firmly on the Parliamen...
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
I ask members who are speaking and those who are sitting close to them to ensure that their telephones and BlackBerrys are turned off. Quite a lot of interfe...
Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab):
Lab
We very much welcome the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee's report, which is timely given that the Pitt report, which contains recommendations arising...
Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con):
Con
The Rural Affairs and Environment Committee is to be congratulated on a thorough and timely piece of work, which coincides with the Government's consultation...
Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD):
LD
One of the most important points in our report is the recommendation that SEPA should take the lead at a national level in overseeing the flood risk plans th...
Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab):
Lab
Does Mr Rumbles not accept that there is more than one way to skin a cat? I was able to ask all the questions that I required to ask—and the committee makes ...
Mike Rumbles:
LD
Yes, but is it not unfortunate that we had to go round in circles and were prevented from using the word "Aviemore"? Let us be clear: the First Minister made...
Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. The issue of flooding is a very serious subject for debate. If Mr Rumbles is addressing not the issue of flooding but...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Trish Godman):
Lab
I am listening very carefully—
Mike Rumbles:
LD
I—
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Lab
I am speaking, Mr Rumbles. I am listening carefully to what you have to say. I ask you to remember what the subject is and to be very careful from now on.
Mike Rumbles:
LD
The subject is clear. It is about managing flooding and preventing the building of houses on the flood plain. This is a prime example of that.The First Minis...
Roseanna Cunningham:
SNP
Will the member give way?
Mike Rumbles:
LD
No. Another SEPA e-mail referred to"Interference in due process … if signed off, it will no doubt affect staff morale".
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Lab
You have one minute.
Mike Rumbles:
LD
All those interventions have taken time from me, Presiding Officer, but never mind.After all that, Mike Russell, the planning minister, came before our commi...
Michael Russell:
SNP
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I am not the planning minister, so I hope that Mr Rumbles is not misleading the chamber. Perhaps that point could be ...
Mike Rumbles:
LD
The convener was so concerned about protecting the minister that prior to the meeting she informed us all that she would not even allow any mention of the Av...
Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
By now, observant members will have noticed that motions have been laid before the Parliament that would mean changes to the membership of various committees...
Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
Lab
Like other members, I think that the committee conducted a good inquiry. It is worth acknowledging the fact that, with one exception, which Mike Rumbles ment...
Bill Wilson (West of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
Having quickly rewritten the start of my speech, I now begin by congratulating Roseanna Cunningham on her chairing of the committee. Events in the chamber ha...
Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab):
Lab
Is it Bill Wilson's understanding that the SNP Government will not go ahead with any PFI or public-private partnership projects in the future?
Bill Wilson:
SNP
My understanding is that we are moving towards an alternative, non-profit-sharing method, which will phase out PFI. Where contracts have already been signed,...
David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
Lab
I echo the mostly positive comments of previous speakers. I thank the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee and its clerks for all their work in preparing ...
Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con):
Con
I am not a Rural Affairs and Environment Committee member, or even a substitute member, so I do not have the depth of knowledge that committee members have. ...
Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD):
LD
There must be something symbolic in the fact that, when Mary Scanlon and I choose to speak in a debate in which we have only a general interest, the heavens ...
Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP):
SNP
The flooding that affected the Highlands and Islands about 18 months ago and the Western Isles a year earlier sharpened much of the debate in the Parliament ...