Chamber and committees

As part of deposit return scheme governance, the Scottish Government meets regularly with businesses stakeholder across the producer, wholesaler, retailer and hospitality sectors. Many of these businesses have told us that, because of the 11th hour decision by the UK Government to impose vague and unworkable conditions which undermined our deposit return scheme and made progress impossible, their businesses have been impacted - both operationally and financially.

Relevant Scottish local authorities have been able to request additional powers since the introduction of The Additional Powers Request (Scotland) Regulations 2019. Whilst no requests for additional powers have been submitted under the 2019 Regulations to date, Orkney Islands and Western Isles Councils submitted separate proposals for Single Island Authority models through the joint Local Governance Review process with COSLA.

Although most staff returned to Ferguson Marine by 30 June 2023, eight members of staff continue to be seconded to BAE Systems.

As regards the £25,000 working capital loan, the loan agreement is still extant. To date, the loan has not been repaid.

Further measures to tackle waste crime in Scotland include those being developed through the Circular Economy Bill, the National Litter and Flytipping Strategy and the Integrated Authorisation Framework (IAF).

The Circular Economy Bill includes specific provisions in respect of litter and flytipping including a new penalty regime to address littering from vehicles, providing powers to SEPA and local authorities enabling them to stop and seize vehicles suspected of being involved in waste crime, and strengthened householder duty of care responsibilities in relation to household waste to prevent flytipping.

The new National Litter and Flytipping Strategy, which was published on 28 June 2023, includes a focus on ensuring a more effective enforcement model to deter and robustly tackle littering and flytipping behaviour. The Strategy sets out a range of initial commitments, including raising fixed penalty notices for flytipping to £500 and exploring the possibility of raising these to £1000.

Through the IAF, which will update the waste management licensing regime in Scotland, we propose to introduce measures and provide more effective enforcement tools to tackle waste crime. Measures being considered include a broader Fit and Proper Person test, and a strengthened approach to licensing waste carriers to uphold high standards across the industry. A consultation on proposed measures will be published in due course.

Nearly every sector of the economy, from finance to chemistry to engineering, has a vital role to play as we transition to a net zero economy. This is why green skills are central to the Scottish Government’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

Today I am pleased to announce to Parliament the launch of our Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture in Scotland.

This Vision sets out the Scottish Government’s long-term aspirations to 2045 for the finfish, shellfish and seaweed farming sectors, and the wider aquaculture supply chain, with the aim of ensuring our industry is sustainable, diverse, competitive and economically viable.

Scottish Aquaculture produces the UK’s biggest food export – Scottish farmed salmon. The sector is already a significant contributor to our economy through trade, employment and investment in infrastructure such as housing, broadband and harbour facilities. It supports a wide range of highly skilled and well-paid jobs across farming operations, supply chain businesses, research institutes and new innovative enterprises. Many of these jobs are located in some of Scotland’s most fragile rural and island communities where they help to underpin valuable economic development. Aligning with our Blue Economy Vision, our Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture also sets out our aspirations for the growth of other fish, seafood and seaweed aquaculture.

We have consulted widely across the sector and with other stakeholders to develop our Vision and it includes a series of outcomes that will help drive progress in key areas such as the environment and biodiversity, consenting, community benefit, business and health and welfare.

The Scottish Government will work with all stakeholders, including industry, regulators, government, enterprise agencies, academia, NGOs and communities to deliver our positive Vision for a thriving aquaculture sector in Scotland that is globally recognised as innovative, productive, successful and sustainable.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), adopted and published on 13 February 2023, sets out that development proposals will be sited and designed to minimise lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions as far as possible.

All national developments designated in NPF4 were subject to an assessment, undertaken by independent consultants, of the likely impact of each proposed national development’s lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions on achieving national greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets.

The Scottish Government has engaged with Zero Waste Scotland and leading experts on whole life emission reporting and the topic will be considered further in the development of Scotland’s next Climate Change Plan.

Where development proposals are likely to generate waste when operational, including residential, commercial, and industrial properties, NPF4 policy 12c) sets out that proposals will set out how much waste is expected to be generated and how it will be managed.

The imposition of unworkable conditions, including the removal of glass, at the 11th hour by the UK government meant that we had no choice but to delay Scotland’s Deposit Return scheme.

Administrators (Interpath) were appointed on 21 June, and are currently working through the details of the administration process for CSL. The administration process includes the ability for creditors to submit claims for any monies owed to them from CSL.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the delivery of a successful DRS and some investments made to date can be utilised in the future. We will continue to engage with and support industry, and stakeholders to work together, to ensure the scheme is a success when launched.

The deposit return scheme is designed to be industry led and managed. The Scottish Government convened and chaired a System Wide Assurance Group with industry representatives to assess system-wide readiness and to monitor and address risks to delivery. Members were responsible for progressing common issues. Following the March 2023 gateway review we established an expanded governance framework which includes representation from a wider group of stakeholders. This includes a Ministerial Strategic Assurance Group, which sits above the already established Executive Oversight Group and Sector Specific Working Groups.

Zero Waste Scotland has advised Scottish Government that the cost of producing the report was £22,522.56.