On Tuesday I spoke in a Scottish Parliament debate on flood management.
Since 2007, the SNP Government has made £814 million available to local authorities for flood protection schemes and other actions.
Indeed, Scottish Ministers have invested on average £48 million each year, in comparison with £12 million a year under the previous Labour-Liberal Scottish Executive.
This has enabled major flood defence schemes to go ahead in my constituency, like the £18 million upper Garnock valley flood protection scheme and the £48 million Millport flood protection scheme on the island of Cumbrae where work began last spring.
The SNP Government will invest a record £91 million in flood prevention this year, despite Tory cuts to our capital budget.
We must also do more to raise awareness of flooding risk and increase insurance uptake.
It is estimated that 284,000 properties in Scotland are at risk of flooding yet more than a quarter of households have no home insurance.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has created a flood insurance directory to help people at higher risk of flooding to find affordable cover through a network of specialist advisers. You can find this here:
There was a 13% increase for combined buildings and contents policies in 2023, and the ABI have also produced advice for consumers on cutting the cost of home insurance:
