 To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the recent flooding. My sympathies go to those who have been affected by the recent severe weather, and I would wish to pay tribute on behalf of the Government to the first class response offered by local authorities, emergency responders and the public themselves. The Scottish Government places a priority on reducing flood risk across Scotland, and we are committed to working with SEPA, local authorities and other partners. SEPA's recent flood risk strategy set out an agenda for the national direction of future flood risk management, helping to target investment and to coordinate actions across public bodies. The strategies explain what causes flooding in high risk areas, as well as the impacts when flooding does occur. This information is used as a basis for better decision making across flood risk management organisations and supporting actions such as flood protection schemes and warning schemes. I thank the minister for his answer. I am aware that the minister has himself visited the upper d-side area and seen for himself the conditions that have prevailed there. Would he at this stage be able to tell me what support the Government can offer to both the local authority and to individuals who have been seriously hit by this flooding damage? There are two specific pieces of support that the Government has been able to make available, but let me just, before I come on to those, say a word about the scale of the devastation in Balathe that I saw last Thursday. It is of quite an incomprehensible scale to be frank, and I pay tribute to the efforts of many individuals who worked very hard to protect their neighbours and their own properties and to support each other in that difficulty. I would single out a number of firefighters in the area who were out helping other people while their own properties themselves have been flooded. That tells us something about the extraordinary commitment that we are lucky to receive from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. On the two specific areas of assistance, I have activated the bellwind scheme, which, as Mr Johnson will be familiar, establishes a threshold that local authorities are expected to provide to deal with emergency situations of this type, but any costs beyond that threshold are met by the Government, and I have invited and encouraged Aberdeenshire Council to submit an application for financial support under the bellwind scheme. Secondly, in the budget statement in December, I made available some support to Perth and Kinross, Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders councils, exceptionally because of the impact of recent storm incidents. I intend to make a further financial allocation from which I would expect Aberdeenshire Council to relieve council tax payers of their council tax bills, to relieve business rate payers of their business rate bills and then also to contribute towards some of the regeneration that will clearly be required to recover the situation in the future. One of the features of the devastation in Upper Eastside has been the serious damage that has been done to the A93 trunk road. Can the minister at this stage tell us if there is any prospect of that damage being rectified in the near future and that all costs will be covered by the Scottish Government under its commitment to a trunk road? The first thing that I would say is that it is a bit early for me to give the type of commitment about timescale that Mr Johnson is looking for, because the photographs speak for themselves. There is a very serious piece of damage that has been done to the A93 at that particular stage. The A93 is a crucial route in terms of access. It is currently, it cannot be utilised in relation to providing a route from Braymar to Aberdeen. That is unsatisfactory. We have to resolve that as quickly as we possibly can do. There is access from the south through the A93 through Glenshee, but, of course, as we all know, that is a route that can be very vulnerable and susceptible to the normal weather conditions that we would have at this time of year of very heavy snow in the Glenshee area. We are taking forward discussions with Aberdeenshire Council on how the steps are taken to ensure that that route can be rectified. The Deputy First Minister will be aware of the good work going on in conjunction with Falkirk Council and the petrochemical industry in my constituency to provide flood defences for Grangemouth's refinery and petrochemical plants. Can the Deputy First Minister provide an assessment of the success of flood protection schemes to date in mitigating the impacts of flooding and extreme weather over recent days? We have been very fortunate in the sense that the flood protection schemes that we have in place have been successful to date. I was in regular discussion with Perth and Kinross Council and SIPA in my local area, as the city of Perth, faced a significant challenge last night and a significant test of the existing flood protection scheme. I was, frankly, relieved by the end of last night that the flood protection scheme had been successful in Perth. It shows the wisdom and the value of that type of sympathetic investment that is made that protects householders and protects communities. Today, in the city of Perth, we have had to wrestle with the challenges of surface water run-off and drainage challenges within the city itself, although the flood defences proved themselves to be entirely secure in the face of an astonishing volume of water that came down from the catchment area for the River Tey yesterday. Eileen Murray, followed by Alffs McInnes. I again pay tribute to Dumfries and Galloway's major emergency team in this latest flood. Cabinet Secretary, my constituents with small businesses in the White Sands, which have been flooded again, many of them already don't pay business rates and they can't be assisted through that route. Many have been unable to get insurance or else excess payments are prohibitive. I wonder if the Cabinet Secretary can provide advice on whether any assistance might be available for those businesses. Can I make it clear that I'm not referring to my own office, which is under 2.5 feet of water? Cabinet Secretary. I have to say to Dr Murray that, on the television footage that I saw of Dumfries, I regrettably saw her name in lights. She has my sympathies for the difficulties that she will undoubtedly be experiencing in wrestling with this issue. I take the point that Dr Murray makes. It's a fair point that there will be many of the smaller businesses that will not be paying business rates, that will not be covered by the assurance that I have given. She will know that I made a financial commitment through Dumfries and Galloway Council. I intend to look again at that in the light of the events of just the last seven days and the issues that have been wrestled with in Dumfries and Galloway. Given the financial commitment that I have made to the local authority, I would look to the council to make any provision that it can to support individuals in restoring their business and getting back to a situation where they can operate in those localities. There will of course be further discussions about flood prevention measures in the White Sands. I know that the council has recently come to some conclusions about the design of the preferred option for those flood protection schemes. Those issues will of course be taken forward as part of the discussion about how the resources that we allocate to this area of activity are deployed around the country in the course of the next spending review period. Alison MacKinnon is followed by Rob Gibson. Around the whole of the North East, communities have been affected by flooding, but in Aberdeenshire in particular, it's been unprecedented in its scale and in its scope. I hope that the Government can reassure us that its response to Aberdeenshire Council and to the agencies locally will reflect that. The Deputy First Minister mentioned access via Glenchee. He's right to say that it's at risk of closure if severe weather closes in. Is there therefore an urgency in moving as swiftly, as is safe, to protect the remaining road links and to restore what's there? What temporary support can you give? We are actively involved in discussions with Aberdeenshire Council about the recovery steps that are required to be undertaken. I'm sure that Alison MacKinnon will realise that the scale of the damage to the A93 on the D-side is such that the road has frankly gone for large parts of the route length. Therefore, we have to take considered and safe steps to make sure that we recover the situation and to do that as timid as we possibly can do. I can assure of the prompt attention of the Government in that respect. Rob Gibson, followed by Claudia Beamish. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I've got huge sympathy with the communities that are coping with the floods and in our case with the inundations from the sea. We're led to turn to ScotRail and the way in which they handle the Highland main line having experienced the two-hour delay myself and a bus all the way from Inverness to Perth. When there is only in the Cabinet Secretary's constituency a breach in the railway south of Pitlockery, this has been going on since long before Abelio. The information is dreadfully poor for the travelling public and, indeed, I think that this is something that they need to change quickly so that we can use our main spinal route with some confidence. I'll make sure that the transport minister is here and he's heard Mr Gibson's points in relation to the information from ScotRail. Having spent virtually every day of the Christmas and New Year parliamentary recess on a telephone call involving ScotRail, I feel as if I've heard a lot from ScotRail over the course of the last couple of weeks. We will take that point seriously because the Highland main line is a significant part of our rail infrastructure. The foundations and the ballast of the rail line at Inch McGranigan have been swept away by the flooding. There is work on going, which is difficult to access because of the volume of water that is surrounding the site to gain access to the foundations and to execute a repair as quickly as possible. The projected date for the completion of that work is 18 January, but that is dependent on being able to get access to the site. Of course, Mr Gibson makes the essential requirement for good quality information to be available to members of the travelling public is a point that is well made. Over the course of those incidents over the last few weeks, the use by public agencies and organisations and travel companies of social media has been really first class. I've seen a number of different organisations use this to tremendous effect capturing great degrees of public involvement and public interest to make sure that we can resolve and overcome some of those challenges. I'll make sure that the transport minister looks carefully at the points that Mr Gibson has raised about ScotRail communication. Claudia Beamish, followed by Alex Ferguson. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Across South Scotland, my region, there are many communities who have been affected by the floods recently and in previous years. I want to focus in on New Cumnock. On 5 November last year, my colleague Graham Pearson asked the Minister, Aileen McLeod, about this area and she told the Chamber, I quote, to reassure the member, New Cumnock is now very much part and parcel of the national risk management planning process and will be considered accordingly. This is no reassurance to my constituents and those of Graham Pearson, my colleague, who found themselves yet again devastated by deluge. So I ask the Cabinet Secretary today, will he look again at the SEPA budget and review of the responsibilities they have for flooding and the cuts that have been made by the Scottish Government and will he also consider a review which Scottish Labour is calling for today and has done, my colleague Sarah Boyack has also called for, of flood strategy by the Scottish Government working with all local authorities across my region and more widely in Scotland. Cabinet Secretary. I'm a bit surprised by the line of argument that Claudia Beamish has taken today because I know that she takes a keen and acute interest in those issues, so I'm a bit surprised at the line of argument that she's taken today. The first thing that I would say is that SEPA have no responsibility for flood protection measures, none whatsoever. SEPA have a responsibility for the flood warning system which is fully and entirely funded by the Government and which is protected, utterly protected, 100 per cent by my budget settlement in December. Yes, SEPA is facing a 6.8 per cent reduction in its resource budget and that is because I have to require public authorities, public authorities across the board to contribute towards the financial challenge that we have to make. Of course it is up to Scottish Labour if they wish to change my budget and we've heard so much from Scottish Labour about this question that I will expect Scottish Labour to come back and rectify that reduction in the budget that they have been going on about. If they don't, we will know this just to be rhetoric from Scottish Labour. The second thing is in relation to the flood risk management strategies and the work that's been undertaken. Parliament in 2009 passed the Flood Risk Management Scotland Act. That required us to do the groundwork. That's why I'm so surprised at Claudia Beamish's question. That required us to do the groundwork of establishing flood risk management strategies around the country of which we now have 14 which have reported to the minister and they have generated the suggestions and propositions of 42 formal flood protection schemes costing an estimated £235 million and I have made provision within the budget for that to be delivered as part of my commitment to the local government finance settlement. I would have thought instead of having another review we should just get on with implementing those flood risk management strategies not having another talking shop but actually get on with delivering the action that Parliament legislated for in 2009 which this government is getting on with and which we are putting the resources in place to deliver. Alex Ferguson, followed by Dennis Robertson. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Yesterday, Presiding Officer, I visited the village of Cass Fern in my constituency where almost every single house has been flooded some for the third time in three years. Today my officer has taken a number of calls from businesses in Newton Stuart which the First Minister and the Minister for the Environment visited last week. These people need financial help and they need it now and they are very aware that just across the border in Cumbria people in similar situations are receiving that help. So can I ask the Deputy First Minister whether he would consider giving urgently needed financial assistance to every business and individual household that has been so badly affected by the recent floods as is happening in other parts of the UK? In my inner answer to Mr Johnson in relation to the specific financial support that I have made available I made an announcement in December that affected the Freeson Galloway council area which would enable the local authority to remove any obligation for council tax bills for residents who were removed from their properties and for business rates for businesses that had to relocate. In the light of the events of the last couple of weeks I intend to provide a further allocation in relation to the costs that will be involved in localities that will inevitably have some additional consequences for the Freeson Galloway and I will make announcements in due course once I have had a due opportunity to have discussions with the local authority about how that can be taken forward. Dennis Robertson followed by Lewis MacDonald Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can I echo the words of the Deputy First Minister when he congratulated the emergency services, the council workers and the army of volunteers in Ballotar and Aboyne? Yesterday I was in Ballotar again, Mr Sweeney and they appreciated your visit but they are asking the question who is going to help with the cleanup. There are caravans, cars and gardens. Someone needs to recover these and dispose of them. Can you give some assurance that the work will be done and there will be no costs to those people or no penalise to those people who the caravans and cars do not belong to them? Can you also give an assurance to the businesses that remain open that they will be given some financial assistance given that Ballotar is virtually cut off? In relation to the issue of cleanup and debris there is a complicated interaction here at local level between the needs of individuals if I take the caravan park for example in Ballotar where I assume there will be wider insurance claims that are required to be made by individuals and the caravan park operators an interaction between them properly having the opportunity to secure their insurance rectification and the need for there to be a clear-up within the town. Aberdeenshire Council is best placed to co-operate with individuals in that respect and we have open dialogue with Aberdeenshire Council and a compliment Aberdeenshire Council on the way in which they responded to what was a very dramatic situation last week. I think that that's the best way for that dialogue to be undertaken so that these issues can be resolved at local level and the necessary support put in place to try to address that point and precedented event in that particular locality. The Deputy First Minister has rightly focused on Upper D side but will he recognise that there have also been issues overnight in Upper Donside in Aberdeenshire and indeed at the mouth of both the dawn and the day in the city of Aberdeen as well. These are whole catchment area issues bridge of the court for example in Aberdeen, the residents of that sheltered housing had to be evacuated the other day. I confirm that his Government is working with both the City Council as well as the Aberdeenshire Council on whole catchment strategies and can he give an indication given that there are recommendations in the flood management strategies for the D and the dawn of when those will be taken forward? I acknowledge the issues that have been wrestled with in Cintor and in Verruri and in the city of Aberdeen both in terms of the incident and also in the recent events over the last couple of days. We are in discussion with both Aberdeen city and Aberdeenshire councils and the response has been very clear and comprehensive to ensure that the necessary support has been put in place. In relation to the development of the schemes that will of course be part and parcel of the discussion that we have with local government about how we take forward the development of the schemes over the next few years and ministers will be actively involved in that process and will report fully to Parliament in due course. To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on reopening the fourth road bridge to all vehicles. Following the successful completion of the complex and detailed interim repair by a dedicated team of highly skilled staff over the third, the fourth road bridge opened on the 23 December well ahead of schedule to 90% of traffic. A permanent repair to allow HDVs across the fourth road bridge will commence in the coming next few days and subject to favourable weather conditions and no further defects being identified the bridge will reopen to HDVs in mid-Febru. I thank the minister for that answer. Can I ask him what discussions have taken place with the road haulage association? Minister? There has been on-going dialogue with Transport Scotland officials. Clearly there is a priority to get the bridge reopened to HDV traffic. We've engaged with both the road haulage association and the freight transport association on that announcement. An action plan has been produced Cabinet Secretary and the Deputy First Minister have engaged with industry and that action plan will support them in a range of areas while we work on the full repair to ensure that HDVs can cross the fourth. The reopening of the bridge to cars earlier than the original indicated date was indeed welcome but the minister will be aware of the dismay amongst many businesses in Fife and beyond that the bridge did not reopen to HDVs as originally hoped on 2 January and there will still be several weeks before that will be the case. What assessment has the Scottish Government made of the impact on the Fife economy of this further delay? The works were ahead of schedule. We want to get HDVs opened across as quickly as possible. Safety has to be paramount. We are working to that. I again thank the dedicated staff who have made it possible. We have undertaken an exercise of ongoing engagement with the local authorities. I think that many people appreciate the effort that Government and their agencies have put in to ensure that the bridge has been reopened and we will continue with that immense effort to get it reopened for HDVs to support commerce and the haulage industry. I would have thought that the Conservatives would support us in these measures to ensure that everything is back to business and the Government's interventions have been right and how we have handled this issue building the new bridge in the interim. I welcome the minister's announcement that the bridge will be open for HDVs. Can I place on record my thanks? I am sure that all members thanks for all the work that the workforce has had to carry out in appalling conditions over the past few months. Could you ask the minister if he could confirm that it is the active plan of the Scottish Government to provide compensation for hauliers who have lost out during the time that the bridge has been closed and the subsequent restrictions? Minister? No, the action plan specifically includes a number of other items such as an HDV hotline to allow drivers to alert traffic Scotland to incidents, extra supports for trunk road incident support service, fast-track maintenance along truck road diversions, support from local authorities in terms of keeping roads clear and the issue around drivers, and the relaxation that we are pursuing through the DFT to Europe. Those are the key areas in the action plan that had been agreed with industry, but of course dialogue continues and the priority has to be to get the fourth road bridge reopened to all traffic. I thank the minister for his constructive engagement on the west five travel plans which was causing particular problems for my constituents. The temporary fix was supposed to allow all vehicles to use the bridge until the new bridge opens but the permanent repair could be carried out. Why is the temporary fix insufficient for HDVs and why has the permanent repair had to be brought forward? Minister? I think it's clear that we're facing these works and I know that Willie Rennie to give him credit has taken a very active interest in the technical briefings that were offered to MSPs. I'm happy to provide even more. This temporary repair has allowed over 90 per cent of traffic to cross the forth. The further strengthening works will ensure that safety isn't compromised and that the bridge can carry HDV traffic. This is all based on the engineering expertise that we have depended upon and who I think are carrying out excellent works on the bridge and I'm happy to share even more information to show how these phase works will give the certainty that is being sought. Thank you. Thank you for your questions.