Chamber and committees

The Dumb Dumpers Hotline, which closed earlier this year, was one of a number of ways for members of the public to report flytipping, The following table shows the number of reports made through the Dumb Dumpers Hotline only.

The Scottish Government has budgeted £1.1m for the Circular Textiles Fund for 2023-24. The fund is being administered by Zero Waste Scotland on the Scottish Government’s behalf.

Future budget allocations beyond 2023-24 will be confirmed through the annual budget setting process.

Identity theft is a form of fraud and prosecuted under the general offence of fraud. As such, specific information is not routinely collected on identity theft. However, in 2018-19, a one-off detailed analysis of crimes of dishonesty was carried out by the Scottish Government and this revealed that identity theft type cases accounted for about 6% of total fraud, with most cases of identity theft being cyber-enabled.

6. Tables - Recorded crime in Scotland: 2018-2019 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

In addition, the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey found 1.1% of adults experienced identity theft in 2019/20. These are the most recently published statistics as the survey was suspended due to COVID, and resumed in November 2021 with next results due to be published later this year.

Identity theft can be a traumatic experience for those who experience it. It should be reported to Police Scotland as well as the relevant financial institutions that have been affected.

Police Scotland raise awareness of the importance of trying to reduce incidents of identity theft through comprehensive advice on their website. In particular, the website includes information about common ways in which criminals seek to acquire personal information about a person with a view to using this information fraudulently. This advice also includes signs to look for in case a person's identity has been stolen to be used for fraudulent purposes and what to do if a person considers they have been a victim of identity theft. We support the steps being taken by Police Scotland in helping advise people how best to protect themselves from identity theft.

Identity theft - Police Scotland

Financial institutions also provide helpful information to customers about how best to avoid falling foul of being a victim of identity theft with advice focused on what steps to take to help protect personal information as if criminals find it more difficult to access personal information, then this reduces the chances of identity theft taking place.

The Scottish Government COVID-19 Adaptations Expert Group have highlighted that there is a lack of information on ventilation performance and subsequent indoor air quality for existing buildings.

We are considering advice from the expert group to address this gap, including exploring the feasibility of a national ventilation performance survey for public sector buildings.

In Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 (CAFS) the Scottish Government committed to identifying what, if any, actions might best be undertaken at a Scottish level to address the issues associated with indoor air pollution, by 2026.

This is a matter for Local Authorities. The information requested is not held centrally.

However, you may find it helpful to contact The Society for Chief Trading Standards Officers in Scotland (SCOTSS) who may be able to assist you with this request.

The decarbonisation of transport is expected to- continue to increase demand for electric vehicles (EVs), and therefore EV batteries. The Scottish Government recognises the importance of critical minerals for electric vehicle batteries however, it is expected that the majority of vehicle batteries will be imported, with battery manufacturing currently concentrated in China, Korea and Japan.

Research published in 2020 (commissioned by Zero Waste Scotland in partnership with Transport Scotland and Scottish Enterprise) assessed the current and future use of batteries in Scotland across the entire length of the battery supply chain, from chemicals to end of life. This research is published and is available here: Battery use in Scotland now and in the future | Zero Waste Scotland. This research suggests that in the next decade other chemistries and technologies are expected to supersede lithium battery technologies.

More recently the Scottish Government commissioned further research with Zero Waste Scotland to identify what practical actions Scotland could take to encourage and benefit from a circular economy - encouraging the reuse, remanufacturing and recycling of electric vehicle batteries. This research will be published in due course.

I welcome the Circular Steel in Scotland: Current landscape and opportunities report published by Zero Waste Scotland, which will inform ongoing policy development including the Energy Just Transition plan.

The report can be accessed via: -

https://cdn.zerowastescotland.org.uk/managed-downloads/mf-qwstm9se-1688475468d

While the report is clear that there is a significant opportunity in Scotland for circular steel, it requires substantial private sector investment . The report also recognises that some potentially impactful interventions lie within the UK Government’s reserved range of powers, including currency, energy (most aspects), product standards, employment law, trade and foreign affairs.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the growth of this sector, and we are encouraging interested companies to seek advice and support from their local Enterprise Agency.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19946 on 3 August 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The Scottish Government has not assessed the impacts of source reduction and separation on the availability of residual waste, specifically for the production of SAF, and other fuels, oil and chemicals. However, it is considering potential actions it could take on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as it develops its aviation strategy.

The independent review of incineration assessed what residual waste capacity Scotland needs to manage Scotland’s unavoidable, unrecyclable residual waste. It modelled several scenarios, including the impact of meeting Scotland’s waste reduction and recycling targets, and concluded that, if all energy from waste facilities in the development pipeline are built to schedule, there is a risk of long-term overcapacity beginning from 2026 or 2027.

I have kept Ministerial colleagues fully informed of progress on the deposit return scheme through the normal internal processes. Internal party leadership elections are a matter for the relevant parties themselves.