Maurice Golden

7 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05333 by Lorna Slater on 5 January 2022, how many of the retailers listed on page 13 of the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment were estimated to have a 24-month preparedness time.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Gateway Review into Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), which was published on 14 December 2021, gives a preparedness estimate of 12-24 months for individual stakeholders including retailers. This informed their judgement that a full implementation da…

7 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05333 by Lorna Slater on 5 January 2022, which organisations listed on page 13 of the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (a) were interviewed as part of the Deposit Return Scheme Gateway Review and (b) met separately with the Scottish Governm…

Answer · Lorna Slater: The list of organisations interviewed as part of the Gateway Review can be found in Annex C of the report. This report can be accessed here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/deposit-return-scheme-gateway-review-report-june-2021/documents/ . Organisations …

27 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the delays to the deposit return scheme, whether Zero Waste Scotland will publish an updated economic and waste management impact assessment for local authorities.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Modelling by Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) projects that 29 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities will incur a net financial benefit from the implementation of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). Local authorities are also expected to benefit from a reduction in…

26 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it cost to produce the Zero Waste Scotland report, How should Scotland Manage its Scrap Steel?, which was published on 25 October 2021.

Answer · Lorna Slater: This is a matter for Zero Waste Scotland, which is a company limited by guarantee that is independent from the Scottish Government. The information requested is not held centrally.

26 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported calls from the British Metals Recycling Association to withdraw the Zero Waste Scotland report, How should Scotland Manage its Scrap Steel?, over serious concerns about its accuracy.

Answer · Lorna Slater: ZWS is a company limited by guarantee that is independent from the Scottish Government and it is for Zero Waste Scotland to respond to calls about its reports. Zero Waste Scotland has advised us that the analysis is based on UK-wide data, which is the best an…

26 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Zero Waste Scotland engaged with the British Metals Recycling Association while producing its report, How should Scotland Manage its Scrap Steel?, and, if not, for what reason such engagement did not take place.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Zero Waste Scotland is a company limited by guarantee that is independent from the Scottish Government. Zero Waste Scotland advises us that the report is the first part of a project to analyse the steel market in Scotland and the opportunities to manage scra…

22 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05058 by Lorna Slater on 21 December 2021, which of those compliant contracts were signed in the period since September 2019.

Answer · Lorna Slater: That information is not held centrally. Local authorities are responsible for the provision of local waste services and are, therefore, best placed to comment on contractual arrangements for waste services.

20 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what research it is (a) undertaking and (b) aware of on utilising household waste and crop waste to manufacture bacterial cellulose for use in the production of yarns and other textile applications.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government is not undertaking any specific research on utilising household waste and crop waste to manufacture bacterial cellulose for use in the production of yarns and other textile applications. The Scottish Government does not centrally colla…

20 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the quantity of electronic waste that is (a) collected, (b) recycled and (c) reused.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2013 place take-back obligations on retailers and other distributors who sell electrical and electronic equipment. Obligated retailers or distributors must either; i) join the Distributor Take-b…

20 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what research it is (a) undertaking and (b) aware of on turning waste into fertiliser.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government is not undertaking any specific research on turning waste into fertiliser. The Scottish Government does not centrally collate research on individual topics.

20 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) small and (b) large retailers it estimates have a 24-month preparedness time, as indicated in the Deposit Return Scheme Gateway Review.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Gateway Reviewers for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme interviewed representatives of both small and large retailers. Their report, which was published on 14 December 2021, gives a preparedness estimate of 12-24 months for individual stakeholders includin…

15 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity was aware that Circularity Scotland reportedly issued procurement documentation for a deposit return system with a launch date of summer 2023, prior to her statement to the Parliament on 14 December 2021.

Answer · Lorna Slater: In line with the principle of producer responsibility, Circularity Scotland Ltd (CSL) is a private company, established by industry to lead on delivery of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) as scheme administrator. As an independent, industry-led organisa…

15 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity was aware of the findings of the Deposit Return Scheme (a) Gateway Review and (b) Assurance Plan, which called for the scheme to be delayed beyond July 2022, before her statement to Parliament on 17 November 2021.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Gateway Review into Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) took place on 14-16 June 2021 and the follow-up Assurance of Action Plan took place on 21-23 September 2021. Subsequently, I carried out extensive engagement with industry and other stakeholders, …

15 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what date the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity decided to postpone the Deposit Return Scheme.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The decision to amend the full implementation date for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme to 16 August 2023 was taken following an independent Gateway Review and Assurance of Action Plan and extensive follow-up engagement with industry and other stakeholders, a…

15 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-04807 by Lorna Slater on 14 December 2021, whether, as part of its work on a route map, it will consider moving from weight-based to carbon-based recycling targets for local authorities.

Answer · Lorna Slater: As set out in our response to S6W-04807, we are working with industry, local government and environmental groups to develop the route map to deliver our waste and recycling targets for 2025. This work is critical in determining how the waste and resources sec…

14 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times since 1 September 2021 (a) Ministers, (b) Scottish Government officials, (c) Zero Waste Scotland and (d) SEPA have met with representatives of the incineration industry.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Representatives from the waste industry may represent multiple areas of the waste sector. For example, companies may operate both incineration and recycling facilities, and trade bodies represent companies which operate across the waste sector. The informati…

14 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the temporary notification directive for incineration application, which covers new and existing applications, also applies to projects that have already begun construction but on which consultation is still being undertaken.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Energy from Waste (incineration and advanced thermal treatment) Direction 2021 relates to new and existing live planning applications in the planning system. If an energy from waste project already has planning permission and is under construction, there…

8 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many instances there have been of hazardous soils being subject to the lower rate of Scottish Landfill Tax since its introduction in 2015, and what the total quantity of soil was for all of these instances.

Answer · Tom Arthur: Soil that is classified as hazardous is always chargeable at the standard rate of Scottish Landfill Tax. Therefore no hazardous soils should have been subject to the lower rate of Scottish Landfill Tax. Statistics published by the Scottish Environment Protec…

8 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that landfill tax has had on reducing the quantity of waste soil that has gone to landfill since 2015.

Answer · Tom Arthur: No specific assessment has been undertaken to assess the impact of Scottish Landfill Tax on the quantity of waste soil going to landfill. Statistics published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) show that the overall amount of waste going to…

8 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether a review has been carried out on the mechanism used to apply tax rates to waste soils and what role (a) Revenue Scotland and (b) SEPA played in any review process.

Answer · Tom Arthur: As set out in the Scottish Landfill Tax (Qualifying Materials) Order 2016, sub-soils qualify at the lower rate of Scottish Landfill Tax. However, top-soil, soil containing hazardous materials or soil from contaminated land will always be chargeable at the sta…

8 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-03668 by Kevin Stewart on 10 October 2019, whether it will provide information on the level of readiness to comply with the delayed ban on waste to landfill, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Local authorities are responsible for the provision of local waste services and are, therefore, best placed to comment on their readiness to comply with the ban on sending biodegradable municipal waste to landfill in 2025. However, we understand that 18 loc…

7 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many calls have been made to the Dumb Dumpers phoneline in each year since 2014.

Answer · Lorna Slater : The following table outlines the number of calls made to the Dumb Dumpers hotline each year since 2014. As a result of the cyber attack experienced by SEPA, the Dumb Dumpers Hotline was down between 24 December 2020 and 27 June 2021. During this time, the p…

3 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) prisoners and (b) staff have received COVID-19 tests in each prison in each month since April 2020, and how many test results were (i) negative and (ii) positive.

Answer · Maree Todd: We do not hold the requested information, however, information on the number of Lateral Flow Tests used and reported in Scotland is published weekly by Public Health Scotland .  

3 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been killed in road accidents on the A90 between Dundee and Stonehaven in each quarter since 1 April 2018.

Answer · Graeme Dey: A90 Dundee to Stonehaven Fatal Casualties (Between Emmock roundabout Dundee and where the A957 Slug Road crosses the A90 at Stonehaven) Year - 2018 Number of Fatal Casualties April – June 0 July – September 1 October – December 0   Year - 2019 Num…

3 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) injury and (b) non-injury road accidents on the A90 between Dundee and Stonehaven have been reported in each quarter since 1 April 2018.

Answer · Graeme Dey: a) personal injury accidents A90 Dundee to Stonehaven Personal Injury Accidents (Between Emmock roundabout Dundee and where the A957 Slug Road crosses the A90 at Stonehaven) Year - 2018 Number of Personal Injury Accidents April – June 2 July – Septembe…

3 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many specialist (a) osteoporosis nurse and (b) radiographer positions in each NHS board are (i) filled and (ii) vacant.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The information requested on how many specialist osteoporosis nurse positions are (i) filled and (ii) vacant by NHS Board is not centrally available. Numbers of radiography staff have increased from 1,836.8 WTE to 2,507.7 WTE since September 2007 - a 36.5% i…

3 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided towards research on (a) strokes, (b) heart disease, (c) cancer, (d) hearing loss and (e) sight loss in each year since 2016.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Funding provided by the Scottish Government (Chief Scientist Office) for research falls into three broad areas of activity, i.e. research studies, capacity building and supporting infrastructure. The specific amounts provided by condition are set out below a…

2 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-04540 by Lorna Slater on 1 December 2021, whether it will provide a breakdown for each local authority of projected (a) cost savings, including how long it will be before those savings are fully realised in each case and (b) losses, as a result of t…

Answer · Lorna Slater: As per the answer to S6W-04540 on 1 December 2021, we expect that 29 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities will incur a net financial benefit from the implementation of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). This figure is calculated for the first year in which…

1 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what carbon metric-based recycling targets it has considered setting for local authorities.

Answer · Lorna Slater: As previously set out, we are working with industry, local government and environmental groups to develop a route map to deliver our waste and recycling targets for 2025. This work will be critical in determining how the waste and resources sector, including …

28 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding (a) it and (b) Zero Waste Scotland has provided to local authorities to help them to promote their recycling and re-use services, in each year since 2011.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Through Zero Waste Scotland, Scottish Government has provided the amounts shown in the table below, since 2011, directly to support local authorities’ recycling and re-use services. These grants included support for communications. Year Local Authority Recy…