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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.

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 /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

I last met Scottish Water on 7 June 2023.

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

Roads authorities have existing powers to issue legal directions against any work happening on their network, including to curtail works which overrun without an acceptable reason. These are discretionary powers, and it is for each authority to determine whether it is appropriate to use those powers in each situation.

The planned 2024 review of road works Fixed Penalty Notices (Fines) will see the expansion of the number of issues that Roads Authorities can address, and an increase in the value of the penalty itself. This is in addition to the Road Works Commissioner’s penalty, which was increased from £50,000 to £100,000 in 2022. The Commissioner can issue this penalty where a utility firm consistently fails to co-operate with the roads authority.

Outside of the specific example of road works, for example, in building developments, we have no current plans to enhance those powers but recognising the challenging fiscal environment Councils face, we are committed to developing a Fiscal Framework with Local Government in order to ensure the sustainability of local services.

The Scottish Government is responsible for setting the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland. Legal responsibility for service delivery rests locally with Health Boards who configure services taking into account local circumstances and the reasonable needs of their patient populations.

Specifically in relation to long COVID, the Scottish Government has established a £10 million long COVID Support Fund and commissioned the establishment of a National long COVID Strategic Network, which has a strategic and national coordinating role to support the delivery of healthcare and support for people with long COVID.

I refer to my answer to question S6W-21155 on 22 September 2023, which outlined activity being undertaken by the Network to support evaluation, including the collection of patient related experience and patient outcome measures. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Scottish Government officials have been sharing information about RAAC with local authorities’ Scottish Heads of Property Services (SHOPS) and Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES) networks since July 2022. Scottish Government officials shared the latest guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers with the SHOPS and ADES networks in May.

In recent weeks, I have personally met with COSLA to discuss RAAC on 31 August, 5 September, 11 September and 21 September. We have agreed to continue doing so weekly during this phase of the response. Minutes of such meetings are not routinely published.

I wrote to local authorities regarding RAAC on 2 September and 5 September, along with the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice.

Through the Block Grant, the Scottish Government's policy towards local authorities’ spending is to allow them the financial freedom to operate independently. It is their responsibility to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including on youth work, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21155 on‎ 22 September 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers