 I wish to seek your guidance in relation to standing order rules 3.13 and rule 7.2.1. I do so in light of the fact that I lodge a very similar question to that which is due to be raised during the next item of business. This is not the first time as a constituency member that I have seen questions relating to the communities, I am very proud to represent being allocated to another member. I understand the need for all members to be treated fairly and I have a great deal of personal respect for Mr Smith, who is rightly championing an issue that affects the whole south of Scotland region. But in choosing to select another member it does limit my ability to scrutinise the Government as fully as I might have wished to do so. I would welcome your clarification without reference to that particular instance, whether there has been a departure from the previously established convention if not rule that constituency members were when balancing the many relevant considerations seen as having a direct locus and interest in matters relating to their constituency. I thank Mr Mundell for his point of order. Selection of questions is entirely a matter for me. I can assure Mr Mundell that there is no rule, such as the one that he has described. Mr Mundell, of course, will have the opportunity to put a supplementary question to Mr Smith's question. To ask the Scottish Government what support it has provided to businesses and residents affected by recent flooding. I would like to express my sympathy to those who have been affected by the recent severe weather and pay tribute to the first-class response by local authorities, emergency responders and the public themselves in dealing with the significant impact. The increasing frequency and severity of these events provides stark evidence of the impacts of climate change and the pressing need for a positive outcome from COP26. Reducing flood risk is a priority for this Government, and we will continue to support authorities to deliver actions that protect our communities. We continue to fund the Scottish Flood Forum, which works with communities to build resilience and to support those affected by flooding. The forum is currently helping individuals and businesses affected by the recent flooding in Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders. In addition, we are working in co-operation with the United Kingdom Government to ensure flood insurance remains widely available and affordable through the Flood Re scheme, which was launched in 2016. Since 2008, we have made available funding of £42 million each year to local authorities to invest in flood protection measures to help to reduce the risk of flooding to households and businesses. We are also investing an additional £150 million in flood risk management and £12 million in coastal change adaptation over the next five years as part of the green recovery from Covid-19. The minister will be aware that the Hallya community across my South Scotland region was untouched by the flooding last week. We had hoiach, declared a major incident in the White Sands and Dumfries, burst its bank yet again, and anon, the two footbridges across the river, were washed away. Given the scale of the devastation, I had hoped that we would hear more direct support at this time from the Government. Surely the Government, as a minimum, should be activating the bellwin scheme, and given that scheme simply reimburses local councils for some costs incurred with clean-ups over and above a threshold, we should be going further. In 2016, the cabinet secretary himself announced support for flooding that included provision for payments of £1,500 to affected households and businesses, as well as infrastructure repairs. Will he consider similar support this time to the one that he announced in the past for businesses and funding for the reinstatement of infrastructure, such as the replacement of the two bridges that are lost in anon? The bellwin scheme was activated on Friday by the Government. The point that Mr Smith raises with me is clarified by the announcements that were undertaken by ministers. He is correct that the provisions of the bellwin scheme compensate local authorities for additional costs that could not be foreseen. As for the discretionary scheme funding of the type that we had in 2016, that is an issue that the Government can consider. I will be taking the opportunity tomorrow to visit the area in Anon, where I will see for myself some of the issues that Mr Smith has raised with me. I will have the opportunity to discuss with local stakeholders any issues that arise in relation to specific discretionary support of the type that he raises. I hope that when the cabinet secretary does visit, he will go beyond the bellwin scheme, because that threshold in Dumfries and Galloway is £750,000 in borders. It is £260,000, so we need to see more support. What was particularly heartbreaking about the funding last week was the fact that some of the communities that were hit had either started flood protection schemes such as Hoi or the schemes that were not yet under way, such as Dumfries. Unfortunately, we know that the allocated capital funding for flood protection schemes is already oversubscribed for the next five years, so in the case of Dumfries, there is no funding available, even though that is a priority scheme. Can I ask the cabinet secretary if the Government will urgently review the funding available for flood protection schemes, because we simply cannot go on like this with residents and businesses devastated by flooding time after time after time? Cabinet secretary, I acknowledge the seriousness of the point that Mr Smith raises. In the nature of flood prevention scheme funding, as Mr Smith's question highlights, inevitably involves significant amounts of investment in certain local authority areas, which are not required to be sustained on an on-going basis. The way in which we have agreed flood funding with local government is to essentially combine that funding to support individual projects, and there is a prioritisation exercise undertaken involving SIPA as to the schemes that merit the strongest action. Mr Smith is correct that the scheme in Hoi is at an advanced stage of development. There were, thankfully, the existing arrangements there were able to withstand the enormous pressures of the flood incident last week. We will consider the resources that are available for flooding, and, of course, those are material issues in us wrestling with the challenges that climate change is throwing at us, and the Government will engage constructively on those questions. I'm afraid that I had to move my seat as it doesn't seem to be working. Deputy First Minister, the river tweed and its tributaries flowing through my constituency lead to tweed green in pebbles, which is always subject to vulnerable to flooding. Deputy First Minister, how effective existing flood protection measures upstream, such as the Edelston water project, its attribuity, which now has measures to reduce the flow? How effective are these? Essentially, in the work that is undertaken on schemes of this type, without wishing to make a sweeping generalisation, having said that I wasn't going to do so, the more water that can be retained in an upland environment, the better that is for the lower lying areas such as the tweed green area that Christine Grahame talks about in pebbles. Thankfully, the flood banks in pebbles were able to withstand the pressures on last week as well. The measures that are taken further up water courses are essential in holding back water in a flood incident so that they can be dispersed in a more leisurely fashion over a longer period of time. It is the intensity of water flow that can cause the problems in places such as pebbles or in hoik and the example that Mr Smith raises with me. Obviously, the design of those schemes is intended to address some of those questions. When I visited Annan on Friday morning, I met a community in shock. Those bridges served as vital links, memorials and were part of people's lives. We have a further bridge between Irvington and Kirkpatrick Fleming that is also at risk. Dumfries and Galloway Council, as the Deputy First Minister will know, is a small rural authority. Will the Scottish Government commit to helping to provide emergency funds to allow those vital crossings to reopen as soon as possible? That is one of the purposes of my visit to Annan tomorrow, to hear at first hand the challenges that are faced by the local authority and the local community in Annan. I entirely understand the sense of shock that will be prevalent within the community as a consequence of those incidents. I also acknowledge the importance of the crossings that Mr Mundell refers to. We will discuss those issues with the local authority tomorrow and, obviously, Mr Mundell will understand that those will be complex issues that we have to wrestle with, but I give him the undertaking that the Government will engage constructively on that question. Emma Harper Will the cabinet secretary join me in thanking the local authority of Dumfries and Galloway, including the DNG virtual operations support team and the emergency services for their response to addressing the over 80 reported incidents across DNG? I welcome that the Deputy First Minister is going to visit Annan tomorrow. Will he commit to continue to engage with the community to hear what they want and also working with the local authority to ensure flood defence schemes across the whole of Dumfries and Galloway are fit for purpose to protect the communities from a severe impact of flooding in the future? I want to associate myself with the remarks not just about the local resilience partnership in Dumfries and Galloway, but also in the Scottish board, both of whom, based on the forward intelligence of forecasting by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, were stood up, notwithstanding the significant pressures that there are on emergency services just now because of the preparations and operation of COP26. Those were full operations put in place by the local resilience commanders in Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders. A lot of support was put in place and precautionary activities, which were thankfully not required in Hoig, were able to be stood up with a very significant level, but thankfully were not required on that occasion. Obviously, there will be further engagement with the local authorities concerned about the steps that we take forward and with the local communities. I look forward to discussing some of those questions with the community in Annan tomorrow. I would also say to Emma Harper that there is work undertaken to prioritise schemes informed by the best advice that SIPA can provide for us. That is the subject of an exercise in determining which will be the schemes that progress. Those are always complex matters, but I give her the assurance that we will continue to engage in taking forward the issues that she has raised about the Fries and Galloway. Cabinet Secretary, I think that you are underplaying the situation. The water reached 2.9 metres, just short of the three-metre defence in Hoig, and the water became precariously close to the village of Newcastleton. I agree with Colin Smyth for the need for future funding, but having spoken to the local community of Newcastleton, in the aftermath of that horrendous rainfall, I was alerted to the fact that SIPA water tracking levels lag one hour behind. That is unworkable in a flood event, which is changing rapidly. Given the complications of the recent cyber attack, what action is the Scottish Government taking to ensure that SIPA has the necessary tools in place to monitor those disastrous flood events effectively to ensure that places such as Newcastleton are made a priority in future flooding? I am trying to be as helpful as I possibly can do today, but I have to say to Rachael Hamilton that there is not a single word that I have said today that underplays the significance of the situation. I take exception to that point. The situation in Hoig was that there were several assessments made, and I saw the running data all day during the course of a couple of days last week on the running data that was available about the expected size of the River Teviad. Thankfully, it did not reach the levels that were predicted. If it had, it would have resulted in significant incursions into properties, which is why 500 homes were evacuated in advance of the incident. Thankfully, that situation did not arise. The forecasting work of SIPA is undertaken to the best of my knowledge. That was undertaken fully and comprehensively. The impact of the cyber attack on SIPA has been well documented. I think that it has been completely open about the handling of that issue. The data was available to inform responders about the challenges that were faced. Obviously, there will be a need for us to continue to look at all the available data. There will be tributaries that need to be observed, as well as the main rivers, to ensure that we have the best and most accurate information available to enable us to make the type of planned activities that were put in place in Hoig to evacuate properties to protect human life. Those judgments were made with the best of intentions by SIPA and Scottish Borders Council, and I congratulate them for the way in which they engage the local communities in that respect. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that six prisoners overdosed on drugs in two days at HMP shots. Cabinet Secretary, Keith Brown. I am aware of the concerns that have been raised by recent incidents at shots prison, and I am receiving daily updates from the Scottish Prison Service to monitor the situation. Indeed, I have had a number of lengthy discussions with officials and with the SPS, including the Interim Chief Executive. The use of illegal drugs in prisons cannot be tolerated, and the prison service has a comprehensive range of robust security measures in place to prevent the introduction of contraband entering our prisons. I am pleased to confirm today, in addition to that, that after detailed operational consideration, which is necessary, the decision has been taken to implement photocopying of general correspondence. This change requires bringing forward a prison rule change that will allow criminal justice committee members, including Mr Finlay, the opportunity to consider the statutory instrument. I hope that the amendments required to the prison rules will be laid later this month, and they will of course be subject to parliamentary scrutiny. SPS continues to seek innovative technological solutions in order to detect, deter and reduce the availability of contraband entering our prisons to ensure the safety of staff and those who are in scare. I am sure that Mr Finlay will want to commend the SPS for this action and welcome the intention to take forward the amendments to the prison rules. The decision to finally agree to our repeated calls to stop prison drugs mail is welcome, but long overdue. Prison officers are also deeply disturbed by another aspect of drug-soaked mail. When detector machines return a positive result for drugs contamination, police Scotland are informed. However, prison staff say that police rarely collect these items. I have a letter here from the Scottish Prison Service explaining their policy. The drug-soaked items are stored, then handed to prisoners upon their release from custody. Officers are angry and worried. They feel complicit in what they describe as state-sponsored drug-dealing. Can the cabinet secretary explain the extraordinary policy and move to bring that also to an immediate end? It just stands with the photocopying of prisoners mail. There are legal and other factors that have to be taken into account before measures are taken. There are processes that have to be gone through in relation to prisoners mail. Similarly, in relation to the point that he raises, I do not think that it is right to call prison officers drug dealers even to try to make a political point in my view. However, it is a serious issue. It is one that he knows, I am sure, if he said correspondence from the interim chief executive that has been taken very seriously and has been discussed with the police as well. I am also right in saying that the interim chief executive has offered to meet Mr Finlay to discuss those matters so that he can get a better understanding. I would encourage Mr Finlay to do that, and I am, of course, as always, happy to meet him to further discuss the issue. I will take the cabinet secretary up on that meeting, and I hope that he also agrees to meet the prison officers at shots who have extended an invitation to him. This drug crisis in the prisons is also hitting the NHS hard. Two weeks ago, NHS Lanarkshire declared code black due to critical occupancy levels in hospitals. Some cancer treatments have been postponed, yet those same hospitals are treating at least 10 shots prisoners. Some, if not all of them, are in intensive care. Each of them needed an ambulance, while our ambulance service is also under extreme pressure. Will the cabinet secretary today apologise to the NHS workers for his part in contributing to this wholly avoidable crisis? I say once again that it is a very serious issue, which we take seriously and the prison service takes extremely seriously. However, it is worth pointing out that, when he continually, like his colleagues, uses the word crisis and chaos and all the rest of it in order to make a critical point, he is undermining the work of the police and the prison officers that are looking after, especially in the institution that he has referred to, large numbers of serious organised crime inmates. They do a very difficult job. It is also true to say that, in relation to drugs that get into the prison system, of course we do not want to see that, but we are like every other jurisdiction in the world that struggles. As soon as he calls one loophole, some criminals are able to find another one and we have to try to stay ahead of that. I, unlike Mr Finlay, we would want to commend the prison service and the prison officers and commit to redoubling their efforts to make sure that we can keep drugs out of our prisons. Julian Mackay It is vital that, when someone undergoes a drug overdose, every effort is made to engage them in treatment and support. Can I ask the cabinet secretary what he is doing to ensure that all of those affected are provided with effective follow-up care after they have been discharged from hospital? I thank the member for her question. She will be aware that there is a substantial amount of work, including a new process, being set up by the prison service in order to try to treat people who have issues with drugs in prison. Of course, that is helped by not having drugs in prison. That is what some of the effort is there to do, but we have established a strategic risk and threat group that looks at the ongoing threats in relation to drugs entering the prison system. I would also say that, of course, it is the case that it does as a prison service that has a duty of care to those prisoners, some of whom will have had a pre-existing addiction to drugs before they come in. We have to make sure that we deal with that, so there is engagement with the health service right across the prison estate to make sure that people receive the treatment that they need to receive during the course of their prison sentence. If there is any further information that the member wants, I am more than happy to provide that to her.