Chamber and committees

Scotland’s Creative Industries Partnership last met on 3 August 2017. The next meeting is scheduled for 9 November 2017. Minutes of meetings are agreed at the succeeding meeting, prior to being published on the Creative Scotland website: http://www.creativescotland.com/resources/our-publications/plans-and-strategy-documents/scotlands-creative-industries-partnership.

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution will announce proposed Scottish Landfill Tax rates and bands for 2018-19 as part of the draft Scottish Budget. The Scottish Government is mindful of the importance of maintaining a stable policy and investment landscape, to encourage innovation and a more circular economy.

As set out in the Landfill Tax (Scotland) Act, the person liable to pay Scottish Landfill Tax on a taxable disposal at an unauthorised site is the person who made the disposal or the person who knowingly permitted the disposal to be made. The Scottish Government has no current plans to extend liability to the waste producer.

In the first instance the person who made the original unauthorised disposal is liable for any subsequent clean-up costs, including any landfill tax accrued. In situations where that person cannot be identified SEPA and local authorities can apply for an exemption under The Scottish Landfill Tax (Exemption Certificates) Order 2015 when exercising their removal powers under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The Scottish Government therefore has no current plans on introducing a credit system for these types of disposal.

The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

In our circular economy strategy 'Making Things Last', the Scottish Government sets out our priorities for keeping products and materials out of landfill and in high-value use for longer.

While this work does not specifically explore a Scottish eco-design label it includes work to influence EU decisions on a life-cycle approach to the design of products and packaging.

This derogation from the Landfill Directive, which - where alternative treatment options are limited - can allow air pollution control (APC) residues that exceed waste acceptance criteria (WAC) to go to landfill, is still in place. However, although provided for via the "Criteria and Procedures for the Acceptance of Waste at Landfills (Scotland) Direction 2005", no Scottish landfill has applied to use the exemption to increase the WAC limits and no Scottish permits include higher limits.

The auditing of industry efforts to reduce plastic pellet loss will be discussed at the next meeting of the Marine Litter Strategy Steering Group, on 7 September 2017. The Scottish Government is committed to the actions it laid out in the Marine Litter Strategy, including an industry code of conduct regarding plastic pellets, and will investigate ways to support this.

The promotion of the voluntary scheme, Operation Clean Sweep, will be discussed at the next meeting of the Marine Litter Strategy Steering Group meeting on 7 September 2017, and opportunities for the Scottish Government to aid in its promotion will be identified and acted upon.