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03 PURPOSE OF CONSULTATION

3.1 This consultation invites responses from across all sectors and parts of Scotland about our strategic framework for achieving a well-adapting Scotland. Responses will help shape the forthcoming Scotland's Climate Change Adaptation Framework (the Framework). The role of the Framework will be distinctly different to that of the various, individual Scottish Government policies that address specific issues important to climate change adaptation, such as sustainable flood management or changing agricultural practices. The Framework will seek to identify strategic principles and priority actions as a means of providing leadership, guidance and consistency of approach to government and non-government decision-makers as they determine how best to account for the impacts of climate change in their own policy development and planning.

3.2 We acknowledge there are many important specific policy issues which will contribute to delivering a well-adapting Scotland. However, we can not effectively examine individual policy issues in this strategic document and would encourage those interested to visit the Scottish Government website at www.scotland.gov.uk for publications and consultations on specific issues and activities.

3.3 This consultation does not invite questions about specific actions or spending that Government or other public bodies should take in achieving a sustainable approach to climate adaptation. The details of how Government will mainstream climate change adaptation through its own policies and operation as well as supporting climate adaptation more broadly will be addressed in a further consultation paper, to be released in early 2009.

3.4 The two-stage approach to this consultation has been developed to allow us to engage with the current stakeholder debates on climate adaptation while recognising that the final Framework must be informed by several crucial developments occurring in late 2008 and early 2009. This first-stage of the consultation process seeks to maximise the interest and raise awareness, both within Government and amongst key stakeholders, generated by existing climate change activity. It seeks to capture the debate that is being inspired, but not necessarily fully addressed, by the consultation on the proposed Scottish Climate Change Bill, the National Planning Framework 2 and the Future of Flood Risk Management in Scotland.

3.5 The second-stage of the consultation process will ensure the detailed proposals of the final Framework are informed by several crucial developments:

• The Scottish Climate Change Bill - a draft Bill will enter into Parliament at the end of 2008. The debate and final provisions that result from the Bill's passage must necessarily be reflected in our policy response.
• The best available climate scenarios - the next generation of future climate scenarios for the UK will be released at the end of 2008, superseding those released in 2002.

3.6 Scotland's communities are already in the front line in terms of responding to the impacts of climate change. And there is much to be gained from engaging with stakeholders now to develop the core principles and priority actions for climate adaptation. For example, local authorities will be pivotal to delivering a well adapted Scotland - many are already seeking to support communities and address the impacts of our changing climate. With the new relationship between the Scottish Government and local government and the introduction of Single Outcome Agreements it is important that we work in partnership from the earliest opportunity to shape the principles and strategic priority actions of our adaptation response.

3.7 The Environmental Report produced as part of the Strategic Environmental Assessment conducted on the contents of the consultation paper will also be made publicly available to inform consultation responses. The Report will be made available at www.scotland.gov.uk/climatechangeadaptation

Responding to the consultation

3.8 Thank you in advance for your response to this consultation. We are inviting responses to this consultation paper by 31 October 2008. We would be grateful if you would use the online consultation questionnaire template provided as this will aid our analysis of the responses received. The template is available at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/climatechangeadaptation

3.9 Please ensure you also provide your Respondent Information Form (see below) with your questionnaire. If you have any queries, please contact Madeleine Cusack on 0131 244 1891.

If you wish to submit a written response, please send your response to:
cca@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

or

Telephone: 0131 244 1891
Fax: 0131 244 0211

3.10 This consultation, and all other Scottish Government consultation exercises, can be viewed online on the consultation web pages of the Scottish Government website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations. You can telephone Freephone 0800 77 1234 to find out where your nearest public internet access point is. The Scottish Government also has an email alert system for consultations (SEconsult: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations/seconsult.aspx). This system allows stakeholders, individuals and organisations to register and receive a weekly email containing details of all new consultations (including web links). SEconsult complements, but in no way replaces Scottish Government distribution lists, and is designed to allow stakeholders to keep up to date with all Scottish Government consultation activity, and therefore be alerted at the earliest opportunity to those of most interest. We would encourage you to register.

Handling your response

3.11 We need to know how you wish your response to be handled and, in particular, whether you are happy for your response to be made public. Please complete and return the Respondent Information Form which forms part of the consultation questionnaire as this will ensure that we treat your response appropriately. If you ask for your response not to be published we will regard it as confidential, and we will treat it accordingly. All respondents should be aware that the Scottish Government is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and would therefore have to consider any request made to it under the Act for information relating to responses made to this consultation exercise.

Next steps in the process

3.12 This consultation closes on the 31 October 2008. Following the closing date, all responses will be analysed and considered along with any other available evidence to inform the ongoing development of Scotland's Climate Change Adaptation Framework. We aim to issue a report on this consultation process by the end of January 2009.

3.13 Where respondents have given permission for their response to be made public, these will be made available to the public by the end of November 2008. We will check all responses where agreement to publish has been given for any potentially defamatory material before making them publically available.

Comments and complaints

3.14 If you have any comments about how this consultation exercise has been conducted, please send them to the contact details as listed in paragraph 3.9.

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