Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-15418

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the Deposit Return Scheme, whether it has made an application for an exemption under the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020, and, if not, what plans it has to submit any such application.

The Scottish Government has been following the process for excluding the deposit return scheme regulations from the Internal Market Act 2020 and we expect a decision from the UK Government as soon as possible.

I recently met with ministers and senior officials from each UK administration at the inter-ministerial group on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to again ask for urgent clarity from the UK Government on this matter, and by the end of March at the latest.

Question reference: S6W-15407

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) volume and (b) percentage of Scottish waste was exported to other parts of the UK in (i) 2020, (ii) 2021 and (iii) 2022.

That information is not available for the years requested.

Due to the cyber attack suffered by SEPA in 2020, data for that year is unavailable. The 2021 data is expected to be available from 28 March 2023, following publication of official statistics on Waste from All Sources. SEPA does not yet have a complete dataset for 2022, as returns are still being processed.

SEPA’s Waste from All Sources Discover Tool is available here: Waste (from all sources) (sepa.org.uk)

Question reference: S6W-15363

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the public funds used by (a) it and (b) its agencies, in each of the last 12 months, to support (i) Circularity Scotland and (ii) Deposit Return Scheme-related activities.

Previous requests under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 have provided information on the costs associated with the creation of the Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland and are published on the Scottish Government website. As of 18 May 2022 it cost the Scottish Government £182,722 to set up DRS including costs associated with preparing legislation, consulting, evaluation, and independent reviews and assurance. The Scottish Government is open to further requests for information under both FOISA (2002) and EIR (2004).

Question reference: S6W-15408

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) volume and (b) percentage of Scottish plastic waste was exported to non-UK countries in (i) 2020, (ii) 2021 and (iii) 2022, broken down by that which was exported (A) directly from Scotland and (B) via other sites in the UK.

Details of transfrontier shipments of waste are not published or held by Scottish Government, but are held by SEPA.

Information on exports to other UK countries is not available for the years requested.

Due to the cyber attack suffered by SEPA in 2020, data for that year is unavailable. The 2021 data is expected to be available from 28 March 2023, following publication of official statistics on Waste from All Sources. SEPA does not yet have a complete dataset for 2022, as returns are still being processed.

SEPA’s Waste from All Sources Discover Tool is available here: Waste (from all sources) (sepa.org.uk)

Question reference: S6W-15392

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the announced £170 million for multi-disciplinary teams in NHS Scotland will be dedicated towards supporting people living with myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

We are providing £170m to support the delivery of extended multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) making it easier for patients to see the right person, at the right time, in GP practices and the community.

Whilst the fund does not have direct provision to support living with myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), the reforms are focused on strengthening the whole general practice team for the benefit of all patients.

We have recruited 3,220 whole time equivalent (WTE) healthcare professionals, such as pharmacists, mental health workers and physiotherapists, into these MDTS. This is helping to refocus the role of the GP on patients with more complex conditions, in turn improving patient outcomes, community health and practice sustainability.

Question reference: S6W-15410

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what budgetary considerations it has given to ensure that biosecurity concerns are properly resourced within its biodiversity strategy and planning of the biodiversity delivery plan.

The Biodiversity Strategy is not the primary vehicle for addressing biosecurity issues, although clearly there are related issues and impacts which stress the need to mainstream biodiversity across the full range of Scottish Government policy.

The Biodiversity Strategy sets out a long-term, high-level ambition and Vision for 2045. Delivering that Vision is supported by a series of Outcomes across a range of overlapping ecosystems and land use types.

The Strategy also includes 33 Priority Actions which include, of relevance to the question:

Implement Scottish Plan for INNS surveillance, prevention and control, and secure wider support measures to enable effective INNS removal
Support surveillance and monitoring to support managing risks around pathogens and disease in wild bird populations
Develop a Biodiversity Investment Plan to direct how we address the Finance Gap for nature
Maintain and seek to increase investment in nature restoration through our £65 million Nature Restoration Fund.

A Delivery Plan is now being developed jointly by Scottish Government and NatureScot officials, drawing on engagement from key policy areas and across a wider network which includes expert academic input alongside significant stakeholder engagement.

Each iteration of the Delivery Plan will include estimated costs and will be reviewed in light of monitoring data to demonstrate the impact of actions taken so far.

The Biodiversity Investment Plan will direct how we address the finance gap for nature. It will ensure that investment is strategic, planned and focused on agreed priorities and will assist in securing responsible private investment in Scotland’s natural capital funding.

Question reference: S6W-15389

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many free bicycles had been distributed by the end of the pilot scheme; what the total cost of this was, and what progress has been made to provide free bicycles to school-aged children who cannot afford them by 2026.

The pilot period for the commitment concluded on 31 August 2022, and a final evaluation report has been published on the Transport Scotland website . Support has been provided to delivery organisations to continue activities until 31 March 2023.

The total number of bikes issued during the pilot period was 2600 and the total figure to date is 3650.

The total cost of the pilot period was £2,922,704.15, which was made up of £1,912,135.12 Capital and £1,010,569.03 Resource funding. The total cost to date is £4,498,149.19, which is made up of £3,090,887.49 Capital funding and £1,407,261.70 Resource funding. The resource element of the budget is not used to procure bikes, but to fund activity such as training sessions and staffing to support the objectives of the pilot programme.

We are currently considering how best to continue delivery from April 2023.

Question reference: S6W-15420

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether a ministerial direction will be sought by the Accountable Officer in respect of the decision to continue with the plan to commence operations on the Deposit Return Scheme on 16 August 2023.

Question reference: S6W-15421

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Accountable Officer has raised the possibility of seeking a ministerial direction in respect of the Deposit Return Scheme with the Scottish Ministers.

Question reference: S6W-15416

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 13 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on whether any members of the Executive Team of Circularity Scotland have had any direct experience of running a deposit return scheme.

Chamber and committees