The 152nd Open, which took place at Royal Troon in South Ayrshire from 14-21 July 2024, was a significant success for Scotland. The Championship enjoyed a record crowd for Troon, with over 250,000 spectators in attendance, more than half of whom travelled from outside of Scotland.

Independent research from Sheffield Hallam University’s Sport Industry Research Centre has found that The 152nd Open generated an estimated £87.3 million in total economic impact – new money entering the economy – for Scotland. Ayrshire received total economic impact of an estimated £43.8 million.

The figures for this year’s Championship bring the total economic benefit generated by the ten stagings of The Open in Scotland since 2005 to £1.36 billion.

The Open is synonymous with Scotland and of significant importance to our country from an economic and reputational perspective. Scottish Ministers have therefore committed funding for a renewed long-term agreement with The R&A starting in 2024, which will ensure that its major championships are staged in Scotland regularly until 2034. The agreement guarantees that 14 major championships organised by The R&A will be staged in Scotland across its lifetime, including five stagings of The Open.

The agreement also brings an exclusive benefits package for Scotland, covering elements such as international promotion, advertising and support for Scottish Government policies, notably in relation to sustainability and health.

As well as delivering significant economic benefits at national and local level, the investment in The R&A’s major championships will drive tourism and showcase Scotland as a world-class stage for major events.

Funding from the Scottish Government and VisitScotland is £1 million per year for 11 years, therefore totalling £11 million. Given the economic impact and wider value that can be expected, this represents very strong value for money.

The landfill ban and infrastructure capacity report was published by Zero Waste Scotland on 11 October 2024. At the time of the Environmental Information Regulations request (EIR), 19 June 2024, the report was still being reviewed by ZWS. Scottish Government considered outputs and considerations of various draft versions of the report prior to its final publication.

Scottish Government Ministers and officials regularly meet with industry stakeholders, including OEUK to discuss their ongoing employment and training initiatives. The First Minister and I met with David Whitehouse, CEO of OEUK on 30 September 2024. The Scottish Government is working with the energy sector to plan for a multi-skilled workforce to ensure a fair and just transition for Scotland’s highly skilled offshore workers.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-30309 on 28 October 2024. 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-30309 on 28 October 2024. 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-30309 on 28 October 2024. 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

Work on the establishment of a safer drug consumption facility in Glasgow by the Scottish Government has been undertaken through the Harm Reduction team in the Drugs Policy Division. The work has been led by a C1 (£57,141–£71,243) supported by a B3 (£45,449–£54,419).

The safer drug consumption facility is targeted at reducing drug-related harms. In countries where drug consumption rooms already operate, they have seen a drop in drug-related issues within the vicinity of the site. International literature suggests there is no increase in drug-related crime around these facilities but we are not aware of the measurement of non-drug related crime.

Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership plan to assess the impact of the opening of the safer drug consumption facility on the local community, including experiences of crime and perceptions of local safety as part of the formal evaluation, led by Public Health Scotland academics. This work is being informed by consultation with the local community.

Substances used within the service are procured by the individuals using the service and not by the service itself. The Lord Advocate indicated in September 2023 that she would be prepared to publish a statement of prosecution policy to the effect that it would not be in the public interest to prosecute users of the facility in terms of section 5(2) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 for simple possession offences committed within the confines of the safer drug consumption facility. This does not apply to the staff. No substances have been or will be purchased, and therefore there are no associated costs.

The SDCF website contains information on the service and highlights that those attending the service ‘can only use the drug they bring onto the site’.

Management of the NHS clinical waste contract is a matter for Health Boards, and management of the NHS’s relationship with the clinical waste contractor is a matter for NHS National Services Scotland’s National Procurement and Logistics Service. According to information published by NHS National Services Scotland, around 3000 to 4000 tonnes of clinical waste were shipped to England / Wales annually between 2018-19 and 2021-22. This publication is available at: https://www.nss.nhs.scot/publications/foi-000270-clinical-medical-waste-shipped-to-england-and-europe/foi-000270-clinical-medical-waste-shipped-to-england-and-europe-html/

In 2023/24, Health Boards reported 7,833 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) of greenhouse gas emissions from waste disposal (both general and clinical waste). This made up 1.4% of total NHS reported emissions. This information is published through the Annual NHS Scotland Climate Emergency and Sustainability Report - Annual NHS Scotland Climate Emergency & Sustainability Report 2024 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The NHS Scotland Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy 2022-2026 sets out the Scottish Government’s plans to help reduce carbon emissions from clinical waste in NHS Scotland. This publication is available at: NHS Scotland climate emergency and sustainability strategy: 2022-2026 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Specifically, the strategy sets out that each Health Board should set appropriate targets for reducing the volume of clinical waste it produces through measures including; greater use of reusable items, improvements to waste segregation and increased recycling of recyclable materials. The Scottish Government will review the need for a national target for clinical waste reduction.

In addition, the strategy requires that Health Board waste management officers ensure that arrangements are in place for the safe treatment and disposal of all waste streams. The Scottish Government supports Health Boards with their net zero commitments and monitors progress towards these targets.