- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 8 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the functions and responsibilities of all those involved in waste minimisation.
Answer
Details of all those involved in waste minimisation are not held centrally. There are many waste minimisation initiatives in Scotland organised by a variety of groups including local authorities, local enterprise companies, universities, water authorities, private enterprise, non departmental public bodies, chambers of commerce and the voluntary sector.The UK has a responsibility under the EC Waste Framework Directive to encourage the minimisation of waste. This is incorporated into Scottish law by the Environment Act 1995 which requires the national waste strategy to state policies for attaining the objective of "encouraging the prevention or reduction of waste production and its harmfulness". The National Waste Strategy: Scotland (NWS), prepared by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), is the means by which this is being taken forward in Scotland.In 1998 SEPA established its Waste Minimisation Initiative. One of its main aims is to provide a co-ordination role for waste minimisation activities in Scotland and link into waste minimisation programmes and activities elsewhere. SEPA maintains a website (www.sepa.org.uk/wastemin) which lists the waste minimisation projects and clubs in Scotland, outlines their objectives and membership and provides contact names and addresses.A component of the NWS is the development of 11 Area Waste Plans. These plans which are currently being developed by SEPA in collaboration with local authorities, local enterprise companies, the waste management industry and community waste groups, will include proposals for waste minimisation.The Waste Minimisation Act (1998) enables local authorities to take steps to minimise the generation of controlled waste in their areas. Under the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000, SEPA is required to ensure that waste production by certain industries is prevented or reduced.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 3 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that any new investment in recycling infrastructure to meet the recycling targets set for itself by the newspaper industry will benefit Scotland.
Answer
The Executive is a joint contributor to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). One of WRAP's key priorities is to stimulate a significant increase in newsprint reprocessing capacity in the UK. Specifically, WRAP's programme includes a target to support investment that will create new manufacturing capacity to deliver a 500,000 tonnes a year increase in newspaper recycling. Our participation in WRAP is to ensure that the work and benefits of the programme also apply to Scotland.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 2 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what subsidies are available for the recycling of municipal waste; what amounts are involved, and what the source is of each subsidy.
Answer
Details of grants and subsidies available for the recycling of municipal waste are given in the table.
GRANT / SUBSIDY | AMOUNT | SOURCE | PAYMENT DATES |
| Strategic Waste Fund(for local authority recycling & composting initiatives) | £3 million | Scottish Executive | 2000 - 2001 |
| Strategic Waste Fund (for local authorities to implement Area Waste Plans) | £50.4 million | Scottish Executive | 2001 - 2004 |
| Strategic Waste Fund(other waste initiatives) | £400,000 | Scottish Executive | 2002 - 2004 |
| Landfill Tax Credits(grants to recycling initiatives) | Information not held centrally | Landfill Operators | 1996 onward |
| Recycling Credits(subsidy to third parties to recycle municipal waste) | Information not held centrally | Local Authorities | 1992 onward |
| New Opportunities Fund (community sector waste reuse, recycling and composting) | £5.25 million | Lottery Funding | by March 2004 |
In addition, the Scottish Executive has increased the Grant Aided Expenditure to local authorities for Environmental Services by £50 million over the next 3 years. However, it is for the authorities to decide how much they allocate towards recycling.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 2 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that any new UK investment in recycling infrastructure benefits Scotland.
Answer
The Executive is a joint contributor to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). One of WRAP's key priorities is to stimulate a significant increase in reprocessing capacity in the UK. Specifically, WRAP's programme includes a target to attract at least another £10 million investment a year in reprocessing capacity. Our participation in WRAP is to ensure that the work and benefits of the programme also apply to Scotland.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 2 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how much and what proportion of Scotland's municipal waste is currently recycled within Scotland.
Answer
Information is not held centrally on the proportion of municipal waste collected in Scotland which is currently recycled into new material within Scotland.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 2 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how much revenue is currently generated from the recycling of municipal waste.
Answer
This is a matter for local authorities. The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 2 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets have been set for the recycling of municipal waste over the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 15 years and who is responsible for setting and monitoring these targets.
Answer
Recycling targets have not been set. However, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has established a Recycling Targets Working Group consisting of representatives from the Scottish Executive, CoSLA, local authorities and Recycling Market Development (ReMaDe) Scotland to advise on recycling targets.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 2 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs the recycling industry directly supports.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 30 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations from A/F Protein Inc. or from any other company involved in the genetic modification of fish and, if so, when and what issues have been discussed.
Answer
No such representations have been received by the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 26 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11507 by Angus MacKay on 23 November 2000, which of the organisations and individuals who responded to its consultation in response to the recommendations contained in the report of the McIntosh Commission were in favour of combined local authority and Scottish parliamentary elections.
Answer
A copy of the detailed responses to this consultation is held centrally for public inspection at the Scottish Executive Library. In general terms of those who responded to this question, 29, including CoSLA, were in favour of combined elections whilst 22 were in favour of mid-term elections. Of the local authorities who responded, 16 were in favour of combined elections and 11 were in favour of mid-term elections.
