Brian Whittle

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether small businesses will continue to be included in the Deposit Return Scheme from its launch date on 16 August 2023, in light of the First Minister's reported pledge to exempt small businesses for the first year of the scheme.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Businesses of all sizes will be included in Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), which will now launch on 1 March 2024. Adjusting the launch date by over 6 months provides everyone with additional time to prepare for the launch of the scheme, with around 1…

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work that it is doing to improve circularity within the Scottish economy.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government is taking a range of activities to improve circularity within the Scottish economy. This includes consulting on proposals for a Circular Economy Bill Delivering Scotland's circular economy: Proposed Circular Economy Bill - Consultation…

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason 16 August 2023 was selected as the launch date for the Deposit Return Scheme, in light of the chief executive of Circularity Scotland reportedly stating that it had identified the period of September to October 2023 as deliverable for the scheme launch but, even then, wit…

Answer · Lorna Slater: The 16 August 2023 launch date of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme launch date was informed by a five month assessment process. This accounted for the findings of the Gateway Review conducted in June 2021 independent advice, review of Circularity Scotland’s i…

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will detail all of the responsibilities that it has in relation to the Deposit Return Scheme, which is due to launch on 16 August 2023.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government is responsible for drafting the regulations underpinning Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme. In addition the Scottish Government has a wider commitment to the success of the scheme carried out through stakeholder engagement and system wi…

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has done to raise awareness of the Deposit Return Scheme among consumers; what activities have been involved in this, and how many civil servants have been engaged in this work, broken down by salary grade.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Deposit Return Scheme consumer campaign, which will be led by Circularity Scotland Ltd, has yet to begin. It will commence in the run up to the scheme’s launch next year to ensure consumers are aware of the launch date and how the scheme will work.

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to review the Deposit Return Scheme after its launch on 16 August 2023 and its (a) impact in general, (b) financial impact on (i) businesses, (ii) consumers and (iii) the wider economy and (c) environmental impacts.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Monitoring and analysis work will commence shortly after the launch of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). This work was originally scheduled to begin in early 2024. Following the decision to move the scheme’s launch to 1 March 2024, this work will be re…

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many businesses have now registered with the Deposit Return Scheme, which is due to launch on 16 August 2023, and what work it is doing to ensure that all businesses are signed up to the scheme.

Answer · Lorna Slater: More than 670 producers responsible for more than 2 billion drinks containers have signed up with Circularity Scotland – this represents the full range of drink producers from global brands to small craft breweries and distilleries. This means 95% of the ann…

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline the rationale for the increased funding for the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh from £28.7 million in 2022-23 to £33.8 million in 2023-24, and whether it will provide further information on what this increased expenditure is expected to cover.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The increase in funding to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) in 2023/24 reflects re-profiled spending plans for the Edinburgh Biomes project.

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline the rationale for the reduction of Forestry and Land Scotland’s budget from £27.2 million in 2022-23 to £23.8 million in 2023-24; whether it will provide any further information on this budget reduction, and what impact it anticipates this will have on the agency’…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is funded primarily by revenue receipts from commercial trading activities such as the sale of timber, renewables, recreation, venison, estates, and other income raised. In addition, an Annual Subsidy Limit (ASL) is agreed wit…

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to excluding, or delaying the inclusion of, small businesses within the scope of the Deposit Return Scheme, which is due to launch on 16 August 2023.

Answer · Lorna Slater: All producers, regardless of size, will be included in Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme from its launch on 1 March 2024. The Circular Economy Minister announced on 20 April 2023 a package of measures to simplify the scheme which will benefit businesses of all…

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which retailers it has met to discuss the Deposit Return Scheme since 1 January 2023.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The following table shows the meetings that the Scottish Government has had with retailers to discuss the Deposit Return Scheme. Date Meeting 17-01-2023 Meeting with Scottish Grocers' Federation (SGF) and Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Bi…

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to collaborating with industry to raise awareness of healthy alternatives in food choices, including in relation to any benefits of whole-grain foods.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Our 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan sets out actions to support everyone in Scotland to eat well and be a healthy weight. These include actions in partnership with the food industry to raise awareness of healthier food options. An example of col…

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to work with the food and drink industry to increase the use of healthy ingredients, including whole-grain foods, in light of the passing of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 requires Scottish Ministers to publish a national good food nation plan. The Scottish Government expects to publish a draft of the national good food nation plan for consultation in summer 2023. Increasing consumer up…

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that there is a holistic approach to improving people’s food choices by raising awareness of healthy alternatives, and not only focusing on the reduction of unhealthy foods and ingredients.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Our 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan sets out actions to support everyone in Scotland to eat well and be a healthy weight. These include holistic actions in a variety of settings to raise awareness of healthier food options. The Plan is underpinn…

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14616 by Lorna Slater on 6 March 2023, what specific steps it has taken to ensure that SEPA, as the Deposit Return Scheme regulator, has sufficient resources to provide “advice and guidance as the preferred route to achieving compliance for business…

Answer · Lorna Slater: SEPA has been provided funding by the Scottish Government to establish their regulatory service for the scheme. Once the scheme is operational, SEPA will be funded for the service via the producer registration fees collected. The Deposit and Return Scheme (DR…

15 Mar 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the culture minister has had with Historic Environment Scotland regarding the organisation's Waste and Resources Plan, including any potential impact of the Deposit Return Scheme on its operations.

14 Mar 2023 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide an update on what progress it has made in preparing for the operation of the Deposit Return Scheme.

13 Mar 2023 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Circularity Scotland expects to make £57 million a year by the public failing to return containers, and that this is part of the company's business model.

8 Mar 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding how it will ensure that the needs of the rural economy are considered in its plans for the decarbonisation of transport.

6 Mar 2023 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to support homeowners seeking to reduce their energy bills.

24 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13127 by Patrick Harvie on 9 January 2023, when it expects to release the annual reports for the (a) Scottish House Condition Survey for (i) 2020, (ii) 2021 and (iii) 2022 and (b) Scottish Household Survey for (A) 2021 and (B) 2022.

Answer · Shona Robison: There will be no Scottish House Condition Survey 2020 annual report. Following the suspension of face-to-face interviewing in March 2020, due to COVID-19, there was no further Scottish House Condition Survey data collection in 2020. The 2021 results will be p…

24 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what role local authorities will be expected to play in monitoring biodiversity at a local level, and what support, resources and funding will be available to them to carry out any such monitoring.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Local Authorities are a key partner in delivering the ambitious aspirations set out in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. However, at the present time, they have a limited role in biodiversity monitoring. Some Local Authorities do host Local Records Centres,…

24 Feb 2023 · Written Question

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.

Answer · Lorna Slater: 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 Biodiversi…

24 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14294 by Lorna Slater on 7 February 2023, in relation to each local authority, for which specific year was the last full year of data available prior to modelling, and, in cases where such data was not available, what period was used instead.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government does not hold the date range of local authority input data however; 27 Local Authorities used their own data to complete the modelling and 4 used national waste composition data based on their recycling performance at the time of model…

24 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14295 by Lorna Slater on 7 February 2023, what the (a) median and (b) average financial loss for all local authorities is anticipated to be between the launch of the Deposit Return Scheme in August 2023 and when the anticipated 90% capture of single…

Answer · Lorna Slater: Taking all 32 authorities into account, there is no median or average loss at 80% performance. In both situations, a saving has been projected. This is further increased when the scheme achieves it 90% target.

24 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration has been given to biosecurity concerns beyond avian populations, such as conifers seeding into peatlands, grey squirrel expansion into the Highlands, and ash dieback in forests.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Scottish Government gives very serious consideration to the maintenance of plant and animal health and welfare through a range of biosecurity measures that aim to prevent the introduction and spread of harmful organisms. On Plant health Scotland’s Chief Pla…

21 Feb 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the outcome of its investigation into the provision of reconviction statistics for the 2019-20 offender cohort.

16 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether any specific financial support is available for people on fixed incomes, such as pensioners, to purchase an electric bike.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Energy Saving Trust runs the ebike loan programme on behalf of Transport Scotland. Interest free loans of up to £3,000 are available for standard ebikes and up to £6,000 for cargo or specially adapted bikes. Applications are subject to credit and affordab…

1 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will issue guidance to stakeholders on how they should express their interest for inclusion in the Planning, Infrastructure and Place Advisory Group.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Planning, Infrastructure and Place Advisory Group will be made up of a core membership of external delivery partners and key agency representation. The first iteration of our National Planning Framework 4 Delivery Programme, published November 2022, confi…

1 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support will be made available to provide planners with additional resources to assess the environmental impacts of developments, including making assessments of the impact of these on biodiversity.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government recognises the challenges facing the planning system, in particular planning authorities. Appropriate resourcing is a key challenge for delivery of NPF4 and we are committed to working collaboratively with our partners to make progress…