To ask the Scottish Government how it is working to build resilience to flooding, in light of reports that heavy rain and flooding caused drivers to be stranded on the Edinburgh city bypass for hours. (S6T-02009)

I express my sympathy for those who were impacted by the heavy rain last week and my thanks to those who responded to the events. Extreme weather events are increasing as a result of climate change, which is why improving flood resilience is a priority for the Government.

In response to the severe weather on Thursday and, in particular, the flooding on sections of the Edinburgh bypass, Transport Scotland worked with BEAR Scotland to deploy pumps to clear the carriageway, while Police Scotland carried out welfare checks on people who were stuck in flooding, as well as ensuring that diversions were in place.

In the face of increasing challenges as a result of climate change, the Government is taking a suite of actions to build resilience. Those include providing increased investment in flood risk management, funding the Scottish Flood Forum and supporting the Scottish Environment Protection Agency with its flood forecasting service. In addition, Transport Scotland is planning for and investing in adaptation, including in schemes to improve drainage and realign watercourses.

The Scottish Government is also taking action on strategic planning, including the consultation that I opened last week on our flood resilience strategy and our adaptation strategy, which we will publish this year.

This is not the first time that there has been flooding on the Edinburgh city bypass. It should be a high priority for flood protections, but the flood resilience strategy consultation neglects our transport network in building new resilience to flooding. What risk assessment has the Scottish Government carried out? What investment will it make to ensure that our roads and railways are not closed and that people’s lives are not disrupted as we increasingly experience disruptive and damaging extreme weather?

I open my response by pointing out that more than a month’s rain fell in a 36-hour period on Thursday and Friday of last week. The Esk at Musselburgh rose to its second-highest level on record, and the Eddleston Water at Peebles reached its highest level on record. Those unusual events are exacerbated by climate impacts.

Mr Choudhury raised the issue of transport planning and the actions that Transport Scotland is taking. In 2023, its strategic framework was published, which looked explicitly at adaptation on Scotland’s transport network. In my opening response, I mentioned some of the practical investments that are being made to build resilience to climate change on our transport network, including in the previous financial year, when £2.5 million was spent on 17 drainage improvement schemes and on one watercourse realignment. That is just one example of how Transport Scotland is investing to adapt our system.

During the heavy rainfall this week, constituents again raised concerns with me that sewage could be discharged into the Water of Leith. When the Scottish Government ditched its 2030 climate target, I warned that inaction on the climate would result in more heavy rainfall and flooding, and potentially more sewage in our waterways. I requested a meeting to discuss those combined sewage overflows with the cabinet secretary, but I was told that such a meeting would not be useful. Will the cabinet secretary show that the Scottish Government is taking the issue seriously and restore the public’s confidence by meeting me and the campaigners on the issue?

The tenor of that question pertains to water quality as opposed to flooding, but I am happy to answer it and to give an update to Parliament. On the one hand, 87 per cent of Scotland’s entire water environment is assessed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency as having good or high classification. That is up from 82 per cent six years ago.

We are not complacent, however. For example, Scottish Water is committed to installing 1,000 new spill monitors by the end of this year, and its “Improving Urban Waters—Route Map” demonstrates the work that is under way. To give some figures, 230 new spill monitors had been installed at priority locations by the end of 2023 and, by the end of March 2024, more than 800 of the promised 1,000 spill monitors had been installed, so Scottish Water is well on track to deliver that commitment. Detailed solutions are currently being developed to address 104 high-priority unsatisfactory combined sewer overflows.

I hope that that information and the further information that I am happy to provide to the member will give him some reassurance.

It is important that the cabinet secretary acknowledged how distressing last week’s situation was for families. I spoke to constituents who had young children and who were stuck on the bypass for hours. I, too, pay tribute to our emergency services for the work that they did.

Edinburgh city bypass has been desperate for investment for many years. I have raised the issue throughout my time as a member of this Parliament. Sadly, we are seeing delay after delay to investment—for example, that is the case with the delivery of the new Sheriffhall junction. Will the Scottish Government undertake a full review of the bypass to look at the impact that such incidents are having and ensure that we get on and deliver the investment that Edinburgh needs?

I echo Miles Briggs’s comments about the hard work that our emergency services did last week and the impact that being stuck in traffic and flooding can have on people and families.

On the question of transport infrastructure and the bypass transport infrastructure in particular, I will have to defer to my colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, who I am sure will be happy to update Miles Briggs on that issue.

I declare an interest as a regular user of the bypass to get to my constituency, which is what I was doing on Thursday night, when I got stuck on the bypass. Going east to west from Sheriffhall, the first slip road off is to Penicuik, and it took me more than an hour to get there. Has any consideration been given to opening up the central crash barrier temporarily, stopping the west to east traffic and allowing those going in the opposite direction who are stuck to turn around and get off the bypass?

I add that I certainly did not see any police during my time on that road.

I am very sorry to hear that Christine Grahame was caught up in the events of last week. The question that she poses is not in my portfolio responsibility as it is largely about transport; it is also an operational question about what is best in the circumstances. The question is probably one for experts in Transport Scotland, BEAR Scotland and Police Scotland. I am sure that Fiona Hyslop, who is sitting to my left, has heard Christine Grahame’s question and will be glad to look into those matters for her.

The now frequent occurrence of extreme weather events demonstrates the changing climate in Scotland and the difficulties that our communities face in adapting to it. Does the cabinet secretary agree that Opposition parties must work with the Scottish National Party, as the flood resilience strategy for Scotland develops, to ensure parliamentary consensus on the issue in order to confront our climate challenges?

I do. I mentioned previously that improving flood resilience is Scotland’s largest climate adaptation challenge. Our communities are facing increasing threats of climate change and want to see their parliamentarians working together. I ask all members across the chamber not only to engage with the consultation on the resilience strategy but to encourage their constituents to do likewise. I look forward to working with members from across the chamber on that.

I, too, thank the police and other emergency services, which reacted so quickly last week. Does the cabinet secretary agree that one of the issues is that drains are no longer being cleared and thus there is a blockage in that regard? Will she encourage the City of Edinburgh Council and other local authorities to take a more regular approach to clearing drains so that they are not blocked when there is flooding?

Again, those are operational matters. I would not propose to circumvent the responsibility of not just the City of Edinburgh Council but BEAR Scotland and Transport Scotland. From my constituency experience, I know that BEAR Scotland has been excellent in responding when drains have required clearing in my area because of flooding or the threat of it. I am sure that those organisations will have heard Mr Balfour’s comments and will consider all that in the light of recent events.