- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there is a need for future monitoring and evaluation of the Deposit Return Scheme and, if so, whether (a) it or (b) Circularity Scotland will fund it.
Answer
The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) Regulations require the Scottish Government to carry out a review of DRS before 1 October 2026.
The Scottish Government has commissioned external consumer research to provide a baseline and follow ups on recycling and awareness and uptake of DRS and any related barriers. This research is being undertaken by an experienced team from Union Advertising. The Scottish Government is also undertaking work with Zero Waste Scotland and Keep Scotland Beautiful to collate data through the Litter Management System survey on the impacts of DRS on on-the-ground litter.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on its commitment to send no more than 5% of remaining waste to landfill and to recycle 70% of remaining waste by 2025.
Answer
The most recent official statistics published by SEPA and available at [ Waste data for Scotland | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) ] show that in 2018 the amount of total waste going to landfill in Scotland has reduced by nearly a third over the past decade, with 32% of all waste landfilled, and that Scotland recycled 61% of all waste. Please note data for 2019/2020 is not available due to a cyber attack on SEPA, but further statistics will be published in 2023.
Our proposals for a Circular Economy Bill and Waste Route Map, published earlier this year, set out actions that Scottish Government and others could take to accelerate progress towards Scotland’s 2025 waste and recycling targets and deliver a circular economy in Scotland in a way that maximises carbon saving potential.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11516 by Kevin Stewart on 9 November 2022, when work to determine the implications of VAT on the National Care Service and associated Care Boards will be complete, and when any decisions based on this work will be made.
Answer
After competitive tender, a contract was awarded to Anderson Anderson & Brown LLP to obtain expert independent advice on the implications of VAT on the NCS and associated Care Boards. This work is ongoing. We are also engaging with HMT. No decisions have been made at this point and a full understanding of the impact of all options will be considered after the co-design process has been completed. The co-design will involve COSLA and Local Authorities as well as people accessing care and support and care workers.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 20 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its pledge at COP26 to curtail deforestation, whether it will provide an update on progress towards its target to increase the woodland carbon market by at least 50% by 2025.
Answer
The woodland carbon market is making an important contribution towards our Net Zero targets. Scottish Forestry manages the Woodland Carbon Code which is a UK-wide carbon standard and underpins integrity in the woodland carbon market. The number of validated carbon credits from creating new woodlands in Scotland under the Woodland Carbon Code has risen by over 60% since March 2020. There has been a similar increase across the UK. These figures show that the 50% target has already been met. At the end of September 2022, 6.3 million validated credits had been generated across 249 woodland creation projects in Scotland. This means that these projects are predicted to sequester at least 6.3 million tonnes of CO2 over their lifetimes.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress towards its target of halting nature loss in Scotland by 2030 and reversing it by 2045.
Answer
The Scottish Government published its new draft Scottish Biodiversity Strategy on 13 December, outlining 26 priority actions needed to achieve our vision of halting biodiversity loss by 2030 and reversing the trend by 2045. This 25 year strategy will be supported by rolling 5 year delivery plans, and the Natural Environment Bill which will include statutory targets for nature recovery. We are working with NatureScot to develop the delivery plan and targets.
Our continued commitments to restore peatlands, introduce at least one new National Park, ensure Nature Networks in all local authority areas, and protect 30% of our land for nature by 2030, will all contribute to our 2030 and 2045 vision for Scotland.
The new strategy can be accessed at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-biodiversity-strategy-2045-tackling-nature-emergency-scotland/ .
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 20 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many stone falls have occurred at Historic Environment Scotland sites in each of the past five years.
Answer
Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including the number of stone falls that have occurred at Historic Environment Scotland sites, are best answered by Historic Environment Scotland.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any set criteria for a maximum travel time or distance that people should have to travel to access a reverse vending machine.
Answer
There is no set criteria on maximum travel time or distance. All retailers will be required to be a return point operator unless they are granted an exemption. The choice of whether to operate a reverse vending machine, or alternatively to operate a manual takeback service, is a commercial decision for individual retailers.
Scottish Ministers may grant an exemption from acting as a return point if they consider that there is an alternative return point located within reasonable proximity to the premises, and the operator of that return point has agreed to accept the return by consumers of items of scheme packaging on behalf of the retailer, and they consider that, if the exemption is granted, this will still provide consumers with reasonable access to a return point. The Scottish Government’s exemption application guidance states that a reasonably accessible distance is generally considered to be approximately 400 metres from an alternative return point.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11368 by Lorna Slater on 7 November 2022, when the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity last engaged with industry and other stakeholders about the readiness of obligated businesses for implementation of the Deposit Return Scheme, and who was present at the meeting.
Answer
I meet regularly with industry stakeholders, including trade associations, businesses and the scheme administrator, on the forthcoming deposit return scheme. This will continue whilst we prepare for go-live in August 2023.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to smaller retailers regarding any potential financial impacts that may result from the Deposit Return Scheme.
Answer
We listened closely to small retailers in designing Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). Under the DRS Regulations, return-point operators including small retailers will be able to claim a reasonable handling fee from the DRS scheme administrator for each container returned. This fee must cover costs including the rental value of space used to collect or store scheme packaging and will ensure small retailers are not out of pocket for operating a return point.
Retailers will also be able to refuse returns where the quantity of material is disproportionately greater than the volume of containers they would usually sell as part of a single transaction.
We are confident that these protections will ensure that small retailers can successfully operate a return point.
The DRS Regulations also allow a retailer to apply to the Scottish Ministers for an exemption from the obligation to operate a return point should they meet certain criteria. On 3 November 2022 updated guidance was released which makes this process clearer, easier and quicker for retailers wishing to apply.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many reverse vending machines it anticipates will be in use across Scotland when the Deposit Return Scheme begins on 16 August 2023, and, of those, how many will be located in (a) cities, (b) towns with a population of between 40,001 and 60,000, (c) towns with a population of between 15,001 and 40,000 and (d) towns or villages with a population of up to 15,000.
Answer
All retailers have obligations to be a return point, unless they apply for and are granted an exemption. The choice of whether to operate a reverse vending machine, or alternatively to operate a manual takeback service, is a commercial decision for individual retailers. The Scottish Government does not hold information on how many reverse vending machines there will be across Scotland or their likely locations.