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Although a thaw is now taking place in many parts of Scotland, there is currently no indication that the rate of thawing will result in severe flooding problems. Nevertheless, people should heed the advice on SEPA''s website and be prepared for flooding. SEPA''s flood warning staff continue to work closely with the Met Office and people should look out for any flood watches or warnings which may be issued on SEPA''s Floodline service. In response to the severe weather, the Scottish Government has convened its resilience room, and all strategic co-ordinating groups are providing updates on potential flooding problems.

The geographic areas covered by city regions in Scotland are not uniquely defined. For example, the former Cities Growth Fund (the funding for which is no longer earmarked and, since 1 April 2008, has been included within the General Capital Grant paid by the Scottish Government to local authorities in Scotland) allocated funding directly to the councils containing the six formally designated cities in Scotland (Aberdeen City Council for Aberdeen, Dundee City Council for Dundee, the City of Edinburgh Council for Edinburgh, Glasgow City Council for Glasgow, Highland Council for Inverness and Stirling Council for Stirling). These authorities, in consultation with others including local communities and neighbouring authorities, each then drew up a published city vision plan to allocate funding within what each determined was the appropriate city region for their area.

The Scottish Government has not conducted any such economic impact assessment but believes that city status would be an asset for Perth.

SEPA will authorise applications made under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Act 2005 (CAR) for activities which clearly demonstrate improvements in flood risk management.

When considering CAR licence applications, SEPA takes into account the social, economic and environmental impacts of such works, including impacts on protected species, aiming to strike a balance between all these factors. There is no provision for compensation to be paid by either SEPA or the Scottish Government for farmers and land managers affected by flooding.

Scottish ministers are statutory consultees under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations 1999. The proposal to build an incinerator in Perth required an Environmental Impact Assessment to be undertaken and accordingly Scottish ministers were consulted. Scottish Government responded, without substantive comments, to Perth and Kinross Council in April 2009.

However, in respect to the actual application itself Scottish Government did not make any representations.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-29695 on 14 December 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-29695 on 14 December 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.

No such studies have been undertaken. In the event of a planning application for a new supermarket being made, the impact on the existing town or city centre would be one of a number of considerations taken into account by the planning authority in reaching a decision.

This information is not held centrally.

The primary responsibility to safeguard property and businesses from hazards of nature such as flooding lies with the owners concerned. They are required to take all reasonable steps to protect their property from such hazards.

However, farmers can expect advice on flood risk and flood warnings from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). SEPA operates flood warning schemes on most of the large rivers and their tributaries in Perthshire and Angus, with warnings for the North Esk becoming operational in March 2010. Farmers can currently access information on flooding through SEPA''s Floodline telephone system, 0845 988 1188, or SEPA''s website www.sepa.org.uk. SEPA''s Flood Warnings Direct service will become operational in March 2011 when farmers who pre-register their landlines and mobiles with SEPA, will be sent messages free of charge about flooding in areas covered by flood warning schemes. The messages will point them to Floodline for more detailed information; providing them with crucial time to take action.