There was a big discussion previously about the money—I think that it was the best part of £1 billion—that the Welsh Government gave local authorities to improve their recycling processes. Will you give us a bit more information on the parallel discussion in Scotland? You mentioned local authorities’ kerbside collections. Some local authorities have lobbied the committee because they get an income from that. Is a discussion continuing about how we can use a mixture of the EPR regulations and the fact that glass is not included in the DRS requirements to improve those recycling processes?

Some constituents find it harder than others to take glass back, and having it picked up at the kerbside outside their homes is a lot easier for them. Will you talk about the income for local authorities and how we could make things work more effectively to increase the recycling rate for glass?

Can you give us any stats that show the differences between local authorities’ collection rates and income generation?

It is also important to consider how the glass is used. I remember being lobbied about that last time we discussed this. There are companies in the private sector that want to repurpose and reuse glass. It would be really good to get some feedback on the economics of that.

How are you monitoring milestones, and when will they be met? To what extent will that be publicly reported as we approach the deadline of October 2027? What do local authorities need to do to ensure that this happens on time?

Sure. Just to clarify, what is your timescale for publishing regular updates on the milestones?

That is just under a year away.

Will voluntary return points be part of that process? Will it be possible to feed in to the decision on where they will be to ensure that people can access them?

That is really important. I previously visited a few of the vending points that had been established. It will be critical to be able to map them to ensure that people can easily access them.

Thank you.

We need to get on with this, because there have been far too many delays. That has not been good for businesses, producers or the hospitality sector. People need to know what is happening. It might seem as though October 2027 is a long way off, but it is not.

The critical issue is that there needs to be more work with local authorities, which need investment now so that they can address issues with glass recycling. There is an opportunity right across Scotland, but geography can be different even within local authority areas. Local authorities need support to ensure that recycling rates increase, and our constituents need to be confident that there will be progress.

My view is that we need to get on with this. The monitoring of recycling rates is critical, as is making progress in implementing the scheme. Right across the business sector, people need to be confident that, this time around, this will happen and that, when investment is made, it will benefit the wider economy and, critically, our environment. We need to get on with this and ensure that the Scottish Government’s monitoring approach is transparent so that people can relate to it and see the progress that we need to make.

I very much agree with Mark Ruskell’s points. The committee’s evidence sessions on the topic in previous weeks have been useful in considering how to make buses more accessible and affordable, and even in relation to whether services should exist. Important opportunities come from franchising. One thing that is quite helpful is the reference to the requirements for transport authorities to have time to ensure that services are retained for passengers in the event of operators reducing or withdrawing their services before a franchise framework comes into operation. That is an important provision.

For me, part of the issue is about the sheer length of time that the franchising process will take. The requirements are too onerous. The process needs to be simplified—it is too complex and too time consuming. Compared with the process in England, there are a lot more requirements placed on any authority that wants to use the franchising process, and that is not helpful.

I very much agree with Mark that the statutory guidance must be issued as soon as possible. I know that Strathclyde Partnership for Transport is looking at franchising, although I understand that it is not a cheap process; it could cost it £15 million. We need to make progress. However, we also need a reality check, because it could be 2030 before we see bus franchising in Scotland. That means that people will not get the bus services that they need. Although I support franchising, much more needs to change.

I thank the Get Glasgow Moving team for raising that issue with me, to make sure that we focus on making this possible for the benefit of our constituents, because the timescale for this happening is way off into the future.