Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-18463

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what baseline statistics it uses for recycling rates.

The Scottish Government use SEPA’s ‘Waste from All Sources’ data as a baseline for recycling rates in Scotland.

This includes statistical measures to support targets specified in Scottish waste policies. Those most relevant to recycling are:

Recycled construction and demolition waste
Recycled waste from all sources

The most recent Scottish ‘Waste from All Sources’ data is from 2021 and was published in March this year.

Question reference: S6W-18724

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17484 by Lorna Slater on 11 May 2023, what plans it has to publish the notes and actions of the meeting held on 20 April 2023.

Question reference: S6W-18725

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17484 by Lorna Slater on 11 May 2023, for what reason it made no such publications during May 2023.

Question reference: S6W-18539

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17872 by Lorna Slater on 25 May 2023, what the remit is of the Ministerial Strategic Assurance Group in relation to the Deposit Return Scheme.

The Ministerial Strategic Assurance Group was established as part of the refreshed system wide governance for the Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland (DRS) for the implementation stage of the programme. The function of this group is:

To provide collective strategic assurance of successful DRS implementation.
To hold all stakeholders mutually accountable for requisite actions.
To build consensus on issues where there is conflict in stakeholders’ positions.

? To drive down the number of outstanding operational issues.

? To manage resolution issues escalated to the Group.

Question reference: S6W-18540

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17872 by Lorna Slater on 25 May 2023, when the Ministerial Strategic Assurance Group first met in relation to the Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-18429

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet last discussed the Deposit Return Scheme.

The Cabinet has received regular updates on the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) and last discussed it on 6 June 2023. Cabinet was briefed on the latest position regarding letters exchanged with the UK Government on the Internal Market Act, in particular the UK Government’s refusal to provide a full exclusion despite detailed engagement over almost two years and the evidence that says the biggest benefits, economically, financially and environmentally, are from including glass.

Question reference: S6W-18426

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is still its position, as set out by the former Deputy First Minister in his letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 31 January 2023, that it "agrees with the goal of promoting long term alignment of [deposit return] schemes" across the UK.

The Scottish Government has always been clear that we will work closely with the UK and devolved Governments to maximise interoperability of the schemes, while acknowledging that waste and recycling policy is fully devolved.

In order to do this, the UK Government must provide clarity on its own deposit return scheme by introducing regulations for its scheme as soon as possible.

I wrote to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Defra’s Minister for Environmental Quality and Resilience on 6 June setting out that I was keen to work collaboratively with other administrations across the UK to push forward work on issues around interoperability, while ensuring that the wishes and competence of the Scottish Parliament are respected.

Question reference: S6W-18432

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6T-01392 by Lorna Slater on 23 May 2023, whether it will list the membership of the high-level ministerial strategic group for the delivery of the scheme.

The membership of the Ministerial Strategic Assurance Group has representation from the following

Circularity Scotland Limited

SEPA

Zero Waste Scotland

Scottish Hospitality Group

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association

The British Beer and Pub Association

SIBA

British Soft Drinks Association

Scottish Wholesale Association

UK Hospitality

Scottish Retail Consortium

Scottish Grocers’ Federation

COSLA

Scotch Whisky Association

These groups had representatives from the organisations themselves and also some members of the organisations also attended.

I am joined by senior SG Officials from the Deposit Return Scheme Division.

Question reference: S6W-18425

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Deposit Return Scheme Implementation Advisory Group last met.

Question reference: S6W-18430

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has reconsidered or revised any impact assessments as a result of the delay in implementing the Deposit Return Scheme, and, if so, which ones.

A suite of impact assessments has been updated to reflect the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Amendment Regulations 2023, which changed the implementation date of the scheme to 1 March 2024, alongside a number of simplification measures.

Updated versions of the Islands Communities Impact Assessment, Fairer Scotland Impact Assessment and Equalities Impact Assessments will be published shortly, alongside a supplementary analysis to the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment in light of the amendments laid in May

These changes pre-date my statement to Parliament on 7 June 2023 on the reset of date to 2025 as a result of conditions set by the UK Government very late in the process and I will be setting out detailed proposals for Parliament as appropriate.