Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) regulates sewage discharges to the water environment under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 and must consider protection of designated nature conservation areas when determining discharge standards.

As part of River Basin Management Planning, when setting objectives for protection and improvement of the water environment SEPA also considers impacts to the condition of areas protected for nature conservation. SEPA has identified 13 conservation areas in Scotland which are not at their target objective for nature conservation and a contributing factor identified is the status of the water environment. However, none of the 13 areas are failing to meet good ecological condition due to sewage discharges.

Scotland’s River Basin Management Plan sets out measures for these areas to improve the status of the water environment, which will also contribute to improving the condition of the protected nature conservation area.

I refer the member to the answer to S6W-15158 on 13 March 2023 for further information on Scottish Water’s approach to identifying locations for new CSO monitors.

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

I last met Scottish Water on 7 June 2023.

In accordance with the Scotland Act 1998, fines received by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency are returned to the Scottish Consolidated Fund.

The accounts for the Scottish Consolidated Fund are published annually by the Scottish Government and the most recent is available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-consolidated-fund-accounts-year-ended-31-march-2022/ .

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked its Chief Executive to respond. His response is as follows:

Scottish Water does not collate and report annual figures for the number of contacts received about discharges from combined sewer overflows separate from other sewage-related issues reported to them, such as blockages and sewer flooding, and these figures would not be available by area. However, Scottish Water publishes all reportable pollution events each year to SEPA and this information is available in their annual reports, which can be found at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Help-and-Resources/Document-Hub/Key-Publications/Annual-Reports .

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked its Chief Executive to respond. His response is as follows:

The data provided in the following table is an extract from the Annual Returns, publicly available on the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) website. The data is contained in the D tables lines D6.3 for New Sewers added during the year and D6.6 for Sewers replaced. Further detail can be found in the commentary to the Annual Returns which are also published on the WICS website. Data is only available from 2015-16 as before this period Scottish Water did not report length of new sewers or length of sewers replaced in the tables.

As previously explained in my answer to S6W-15158 on 13 March 2023, Scottish Water has identified priority locations for 1,000 spill monitors, with installation programmed over 2023 and 2024. Decisions about the locations of these monitors are not based on local authority boundary; locations were identified based on amenity levels and predicted spill frequencies, and agreed with SEPA.

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

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked its Chief Executive to respond. His response is as follows:

Scottish Water intends to install 29 monitors in the Almond Valley, and 67 monitors along the Water of Leith.

River Basin Management Planning has a six year cycle with the next Plan due for publication at the end of 2027. The objective of the Plan is to protect and improve Scotland’s water environment based on comprehensive monitoring, assessment and classification carried out by SEPA. Monitoring the whole sewage network would not change SEPA’s classification of the water environment.

Priority locations have been identified for 1,000 new spill monitors, with installation programmed over 2023 and 2024 at a value of £70m. After 2024, Scottish Water will review the costs and benefits of extending monitor coverage to lower priority waters and agree a programme of work. The Scottish Government is supportive of this evidence based and proportionate approach. Scottish Water’s Improving Urban Waters Route Map sets out a programme of continued action to reduce wastewater pollution and sewage litter over the coming decade backed by investment of up to half a billion pounds.

Continued investment by Scottish Water contributes towards Scotland’s water quality being at its highest level ever, with 87% of the water environment rated as good, up from 82% six years ago. Scotland’s River Basin Management Plan sets out objectives, including those for Scottish Water, aiming to improve water quality to 92% of the water environment in good condition by 2027.

I can confirm that officials from the Building Standards Division met with the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) regarding Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete in public buildings on 5 September 2023, and again on 12 September 2023. IStructE presented information at the RAAC cross-sector working group meeting of 27 September. Prior to those meetings, engagement with IStructE was on structural matters in general, including the certification scheme operated through our building standards system.

While the Scottish Government is not required to publish minutes of informal meetings with stakeholders, on this occasion a copy of the notes of these meetings have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) under BIB number 64548. The minutes of RAAC cross-sector working groups will be published at Building and Fire Safety: Ministerial Working Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).