Scottish News

Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act - Annual Report (May 2010)

Flood Risk Management Bill

Royal Assent (June 2009)

The Bill received Royal Assent on 16 June 2009

Stage 3 passed through Parliament (May 2009)

Stage 2 passed through Parliament (March 2009)

Stage 1 passed through Parliament (January 2009)

On January 22, 2009, in the Scottish Parliament, the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Bill passed its Stage 1 debate without the necessity for a vote. Amendments for Stage 2 will now be considered by the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee.

Scottish Flood Forum launched (November 2008)

The Scottish Flood Forum was launched by the then Minister for Environment, Michael Russell on November 10, 2008.

The Scottish Flood Forum has been set up to raise awareness of flood warnings and self-help measures, and to also provide an independent voice for flood victims in Scotland. The SFF is funded by the Scottish Government and is supported by SEPA. The SFF was set up by the National Flood Forum and is managed by Paul Hendy, a former member of the National Flood Forum.

Further information on the work of the Scottish Flood Forum can be found on their website http://www.scottishfloodforum.org/blog/

Strategic Environmental Assessment of Flooding Bill (September 2008)

The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Flooding Consultation, “The Future of Flood Risk Management in Scotland”, has been published on the Scottish Government website. The SEA is required to assess the likely environmental effects of the proposed Flooding Bill (as detailed in "The Future of Flood Risk Management in Scotland: A Consultation Document"). The SEA can be viewed at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Water/Flooding/stratenvfinal

Flooding Bill announced in Scottish Parliament (3 Sept 2008)

The Scottish Government announced its programme for the 2008-2009 session. The plans include the proposed Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Bill.

The full programme can be viewed at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/09/01093322/0

Report on the Future of Flood Risk Management in Scotland published (June 2008)

The report on the Future of Flood Risk Management in Scotland consultation responses, published on 25 June 2008,
is available to download from the Scottish Government website.

The report describes:

·         Details of feedback received on the consultation document itself;

·         The findings of 3 consultation workshops carried out with key stakeholders;

·         Feedback from public consultation meetings which were held at 5 locations across the country.

The general consensus across the consultation was that the proposals contained within the flooding bill consultation paper are a significant step towards ensuring more effective and sustainable flood management across Scotland.

The full report is available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/25101515/0

Consulation on Flood Risk Management announced (February 2008)

The Scottish Government announced on 13 February 2008 publication of a consultation document which sets out the proposals for the Flooding Bill and is seeking views on the proposals. The proposals set out in the document are designed to establish a framework for more effective sustainable flood risk management in Scotland.

The consultation document and accompanying material are available from the Scottish Government website:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Consultations. Views are invited to be submitted by 23 April 2008.

Scottish Government announces new Flooding Bill (September 2007)

The programme includes a new Flood Prevention (Scotland Bill).  The document states that 'The legislation to reform the current flood prevention laws, which date from 1961. The primary focus on building large-scale flood prevention schemes is no longer flexible enough to address the situations we face in Scotland today.  More sustainable measures are now available which can help reduce waterflows. The new legislation, on which we will consult widely, will allow for a more modern and sustainable approach that will help to provide longer-term solutions to reduce flooding threats'.