A Bill to improve the protection of homes and communities from flooding has been introduced to the Scottish Parliament this week.

The Flood Risk Management Bill aims to update legislation, in a bid to manage the increasing risk of flooding. This will be done by streamlining and speeding up the development of flood defences, and creating a more coordinated process to flood risk at a local and national level.

Measures within the Bill include asking local authorities to prepare local flood risk-management plans to supplement the relevant flood risk-management plan.

These should include a detailed timetable for measures currently being implemented, and details of the implementation of measures yet to be started.

Other measures include a framework for co-ordination and co-operation between all organisations involved in flood risk management, new responsibilities for Scottish Water and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and a new single enforcement agency for the safe operation of Scotland’s reservoirs.

Environment minister, Michael Russell, said: ‘The Scottish Government is committed to tackling the devastating effects of flooding, which are highly traumatic for all those who are directly affected. ‘This new legislation will update our processes, bringing it into line with the demands of the 21st century.’

Russell added that sustainable and long-term flooding prevention measures, including soft engineering such as reed beds and flood plains, would be developed by looking at water catchment areas as a whole.