Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government launched a call for applications for the second round of funding in July 2024.

The call for applications is open until 4 September 2024 and we welcome bids from any individual or organisation with a Scottish connection, whether that link is through heritage, education, business, culture, or a broader affinity.

Grants from £2,000 to £5,000 will be awarded to support innovative projects that bring together Scotland’s diaspora and promote Scottish connections worldwide.

The Scottish Government has allocated up to £50,000 to the second round of the fund, however what is finally allocated will be subject to final Ministerial decision.

I have asked Janet Egdell, Chief Executive of NRS to respond. Her response is that the National Records of Scotland (NRS) will be publishing a release on Alcohol-specific deaths 10 September 2024.

Future publication dates are pre-announced on the NRS website and can be found at the following link: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/future-publications

The next meeting of the Convention of the Highlands and Islands will take place on 7 October and will be hosted by Shetland Islands Council in Lerwick.

The Scottish Government has had no recent engagement with (a) NHS Highland and (b) Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership regarding the provision of dialysis services in Lorn and Islands Hospital.

It is the responsibility of NHS Boards, working with their local partners, to plan service delivery and treatment in accordance with the needs of patients undergoing dialysis in their area.

The Convention of the Highlands and Islands is a public meeting and anyone is welcome to attend. However, only Members and invited speakers are able to contribute to discussions on the day.

While the Scottish Government is the Secretariat for the Convention, it is for the collective membership to decide where non-members should be invited to contribute to the discussion of a meeting of the Convention.

Constituency and regional MSPs for the host area will be made aware of Convention meetings in advance and in accordance with the Ministerial Code (2023).

The Scottish Government has allocated (a) 1.6m in 2022-23 (b) 2.4m in 2023-24 and (c) 2.7m in 2024-25 to local authorities through the general capital grant to invest in managing coastal change and resilience measures.

However, the vast majority of funding available to councils is provided by means of a block grant from the Scottish Government. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including on coastal change adaptation, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

The funding has been distributed as follows:

Capital Funding

The Scottish Government has awarded the following amounts to the Scottish Flood Forum in the most recent five financial years.

An additional £10,000 of discretionary funding was awarded to the Scottish Flood Forum in 2023-24 in light of the exceptional nature of the winter storm season and the vital support SFF provides to flood affected communities.

The Scottish Government has allocated (a) £42m in 2020-21 (b) £52m in 2021-22 (c) £63m in 2022-23 (d) £61m in 2023-24 and (e) £88m in 2024-25 to local authorities through the general capital grant to invest in flood protection and resilience measures.

However, the vast majority of funding available to councils is provided by means of a block grant from the Scottish Government. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including on flooding protection, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

The funding has been distributed as follows:

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29121 on 2 September 2024. 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.

The Flood Resilience Strategy consultation document sought views on a range of flooding related matters, including how best to improve the long term resilience of coastal communities. The results of this consultation will help to inform the Flood Resilience Strategy. Both the Strategy and an analysis of the consultation responses will be published later in the year.