Chamber and committees

The map of return points is a very specific aspect of the scheme, but it is important, particularly for people in rural areas. When will we have certainty on what the map will look like? In response to Jackie Dunbar’s question, you spoke about the collection schedules, which will be hugely important to small rural stores that might not have much storage capacity. When will the map that shows where people can expect to be able to return their cans and bottles appear?

No, I do not.

Maybe we could wind back a bit. There have been a lot of concerns among certain businesses. You have addressed some of those, but what do you see as the outstanding concerns?

On the TNUOS review, is it accepted that the locational signals need to change? As far as I can see, the aim with locational signalling at the moment is to build as much generation as possible as close as possible to the theoretical centre of the GB energy market, which I think is Warwick. Last time I looked, building renewable energy close to Warwick was not going to produce as big an efficiency and load factor as building renewables in Scotland. We get more energy out of wind farms in Scotland than we would in the midlands of England. Is it recognised that locational signals need to change now through TNUOS, and that we need to be accessing and developing the resource where it is?

It is good to see you in front of the committee, minister. I will turn to some of the concerns of environmental stakeholders and how you have addressed those in discussions within the common framework process and come to the decisions that you have, collectively. One of those concerns is around divergence during this delay period.

I understand that the EU is considering, and has taken the first steps towards, phasing out 47 groups of chemicals under its regime but that, under the UK REACH scheme, the UK is considering only three groups in that first phase of considering the environmental health impact of chemicals and how quickly they can be phased out. Do you see the potential for divergence, given the deadlines and the lack of pace of the UK scheme?

Thanks for that. I have another couple of questions on this.

That is one area. Are there others?

But—[Inaudible.]

As you said, it is a transitionary period, which is par for the course with many other DRS schemes. However, if there was a grace period for small producers in the middle of that, what complexity would it cause? For example, if some small distilleries are in the scheme and some are not, a convenience store might have a complex shelf of regional whiskies, with some being in the scheme and some being out of it. How will that work? I appreciate Mr Harris’s point that larger retailers might just say, “Forget this—it’s too much”. What other issues might the grace period create for small producers and those in retail and wholesale?

Do you feel that, with common frameworks, there is potentially a shift towards more executive power and less transparency? I am speaking in general terms about how common frameworks have operated up to now, particularly in areas that were previously European Union competencies, where there might have been more stakeholder engagement and long processes of policy formulation, whereas now that is potentially more of an area for decisions to be made between Governments.