Maurice Golden

28 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it, its agencies, or anyone acting on its behalf have had discussions with parties outwith Scotland regarding treating municipal biodegradable waste after 31 December 2025.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The treatment and disposal of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) is the responsibility of those who collect this material – local authorities and private businesses.However, as part of the Government-commission report published in October 2024 ("Landfi…

28 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) there is disposal capacity to treat all biodegradable municipal waste and (b) all biodegradable municipal waste will be treated in Scotland in 2026.

Answer · Gillian Martin: In October 2024, a report commissioned by the Scottish Government projected an initial treatment capacity shortfall for residual waste in Scotland of 600,000 tonnes when the ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste commences on 31 December 2025.Howeve…

27 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of the review of the provisions and requirements under the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020, which outlined its intention to "consult on a proposal to ban remote controlled training collars using static pulse as a st…

Answer · Jim Fairlie: We are continuing to give the SAWC reports on remote control static pulse devices and other aversive training devices careful consideration, along with the findings of our review into whether further provisions for wearable static pulse training devices are r…

23 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the EU-UK agreement, whether it will seek discussions between the devolved administrations and the UK Government on whether the fixed quota allocation system is fit for purpose or requires a review and public consultation.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government will take forward discussions with the UK Government on the matter of quota distribution following the recent agreement with the EU. Those discussions will include how sea fish quotas are apportioned. The majority of quota is currently…

16 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the development of markets for recycled plastic flexibles and films.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is working to support the development of markets for recycled plastic flexibles and films through a combination of policy commitments and infrastructure investment.As part of its broader strategy to enhance recycling services, the Scot…

16 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether any extra resources will be made available to local authorities to hire additional waste management and operative staff, ahead of the design of a statutory Household Recycling Charter.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The 2025-26 budget provides local government in Scotland with record funding of over £15.1 billion, a real terms increase of 5.5% and the Scottish Government’s policy towards local authorities’ spending is to allow local authorities the fina…

16 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help any small and medium-sized enterprises that are impacted by its waste policies to identify viable markets and outlets for residual waste.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government continues to work with the sector and associated bodies, such as RMAS, the Resource Management Association Scotland, to consider and discuss issues relevant to the sector. This includes a recent meeting on 29 April (plus continued foll…

16 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to (a) identify any points of confusion and conflict in waste legislation and (b) develop a coordinated strategy to ensure the optimal sequencing of upcoming waste policy actions.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Scottish Government officials engage regularly with waste industry stakeholders to ensure clarity and avoid misunderstanding of Scottish waste legislation and to assist with any changes in regulatory approach.In terms of strategy, the Scottish Government publ…

16 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on ringfencing any funds raised from the extended producer responsibility for packing for investment in frontline waste management services.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Extended producer responsibility for packaging funding will be paid directly to local authorities by PackUK (the scheme administrator) and it will be for each local authority to decide how it manages this funding. Under the Verity House Agreement, local gover…

16 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has verified that each local authority is ready to comply with and support implementation of the ban on biodegradable municipal waste to landfill.

Answer · Gillian Martin: At present, 30 local authorities are ready to comply and support the implementation of the ban on biodegradable municipal waste to landfill, with the remaining two continuing to finalise their plans.

16 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which local authorities it has had discussions with regarding the future of waste collection services once a deposit return scheme is introduced, and when any such discussions last took place with each local authority.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government are in regular contact with The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA) to discuss a range of environmental legislation, including the Deposit Return Scheme, and will continue to engage with relevant public bodies as we work t…

16 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of treatment facilities that are capable of processing waste upholstered domestic seating, broken down by capacity.

Answer · Gillian Martin: That information is not held centrally.SEPA would be best placed to provide this information.

16 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on implementing digital waste tracking, and whether any elements of system design and inputs have been shared with local authorities.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The development of the UK-wide Digital Waste Tracking (DWT) is progressing and an update which will include an implementation timeline will be released by DEFRA in June.Local authorities are engaged with the development process. Recently, members of the DEFRA…

14 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline the timeline for the remaining implementation steps ahead of the ban on biodegradable municipal waste to landfill coming into force on 31 December 2025.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Scotland was the first nation in the UK to introduce a ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste. As set out in Regulation 11 of the Landfill (Scotland) Regulations 2003 the ban comes into force on 31 December 2025

13 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-36185 by Mairi Gougeon on 11 April 2025, how many boats have been allocated a quota for West of Scotland cod; and what specific selective fishing (a) gear and (b) methods that are associated with a lower environmental impact have been incentivised b…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government’s quota application initiative for West of Scotland cod has awarded quota to 35 Scottish vessels. These applications seek to incentivise the use of selective fishing gear and fishing techniques or vessels with a reduced impact on…

13 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-36183 by Mairi Gougeon on 9 April 2025, when it expects to finalise any requirement for remote electronic monitoring on (a) inshore and (b) offshore trawl fleets.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Our Fisheries Management Strategy sets out actions to support the fishing fleet to modernise, and for appropriate use to be made of new and additional technology, including remote electronic monitoring (REM). As part of this the Scottish Government has alread…

12 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the public can access performance metrics for the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme to show monthly applications and average processing times.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: Members of the public can access detailed data, including total applications made, on the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme for the 2023-24 financial year at https://www.gov.scot/publications/home-energy-scotland-grant-and-loan-scheme-awards/. Work i…

12 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme has ever been subject to an audit process, and, if not, what plans it has to do so.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Heat in Buildings Programme was subject of an Audit Scotland review in 2023, with the findings of this review published in February 2024. This publication can be found at https://audit.scot/publications/decarbonising-heat-in-homes.Additionally, all Scotti…

7 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Goldman Sachs report, Carbonimics: Tariffs, deglobalization and the cost of decarbonization, which reportedly estimates that the cost of certain decarbonisation measures could rise as a result of global trade tariffs, and whether it will assess any potent…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government recognises the investment and funding challenges associated with the transition to a net zero and climate adapted economy. Meeting the costs will require close working between the public and private sectors domestically, as well as wit…

18 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to assess the potential cost impact of any new trade and tariff agreements entered into by the UK Government on decarbonisation efforts in Scotland that are based on using lowest-cost global suppliers.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The UK Government undertakes scoping assessments prior to negotiations, and impact assessments on completion of an FTA, which detail the likely economic, social and environmental impacts of a new FTA. Those consider opportunities for increased trade in enviro…

15 Apr 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the education secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding what action is being taken to reduce vaping in schools.

9 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reduce the amount of furniture, textiles and mattresses going to incineration or landfill.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government recognises the critical challenges and opportunities in transitioning towards a circular economy within the textiles and mattress sectors.As set out in the Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030, we are considering textiles and m…

9 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact on incineration gate fees of the extended producer responsibility for household packaging waste.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR) scheme pays local authorities for an efficient and effective collection and disposal system for household packaging waste. This includes costs for incineration.

9 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered directing SEPA to refuse new permits for incineration facilities, in light of the extended producer responsibility for household packaging waste.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Independent Review on the Role of Incineration in Scotland’s Waste Hierarchy (2022) recommended that no further planning permission for incineration facilities, beyond what was already in place, should be granted. This was reflected in National Plan…

5 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it or its agencies are actively pursuing a placefor a UK reprocessing facility for electric vehicle batteries in Scotland, andwhat discussions it has had with any vehicle manufacturers on this issue.  

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of developing a circular economy for electric vehicle batteries and supported Zero Waste Scotland in commissioning research which indicated that by 2030 there could be up to 16,000 tonnes of vehicle batteries …

5 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many employees there have been in waste collection and management in each local authority area in each year since 2019.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government does not hold data on the number of employees in waste collection and management in each local authority area.Local authorities determine the staffing numbers required to deliver council services and meet legal obligations in their are…

5 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of its upcoming investment for the 2025-26 financial year in efforts to inform and educate the public on waste separation best practice.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Local authorities are responsible for decisions relating to the operation and delivery of waste management in their area. This means that local authorities operate different systems of waste separation, making local authorities themselves best placed to infor…

5 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it invested in battery reprocessing and recycling facilities in the 2024-25 financial year.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government invested in battery reprocessing and recycling facilities through the Recycling Improvement Fund, but these were delivered prior to the 2024-25 financial year.Dumfries and Galloway Council has introduced a kerbside battery collection s…

5 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to be able to meet its (a) 2013 and (b) 2020 household recycling target.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Scotland has made significant progress in reducing waste, increasing recycling and decarbonising the waste sector, but there is further work to be done. The Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 and Circular Economy & Waste Route Map set out Scottish Gover…

5 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31149 by Gillian Martin on 19 November 2024, within what timeframe after 2026 it expects to see the projected 2.5% increase to the household recycling rate.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Due to the nature of the projects RIF has supported and the timescales for waste data reporting there is a lag between projects being completed and impact data being available.Zero Waste Scotland is completing a series evaluations of projects funded by the RI…