Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-08011

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07097 by Lorna Slater on 23 March 2022, and in light of the reported announcement by the UK Government and Northern Ireland Assembly not to include glass in their proposed Deposit Return Schemes, what its position is on whether a consistent approach should be taken across the UK, whether it has had any engagement with industry on this matter and, if this is not the case, whether it will consider doing so.

We remain committed to the inclusion of glass in our ambitious Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in view of the significant environmental benefits. Although the ambition of other nations’ schemes is a matter for their governments, we welcome the Welsh Government’s decision to follow our example and include glass in their scheme. We will work with all the other UK administrations to ensure interoperability of our schemes where this can be done without losing the ambition of our own.

Question reference: S6W-08057

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in respect of the proposed Deposit Return Scheme, whether it has any plans to carry out another Gateway Review to consider the current economic uncertainty that is facing businesses.

Question reference: S6W-08010

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the proposed Deposit Return Scheme, what discussions it has had with Circularity Scotland on whether the company is planning to raise the producer fee in respect of glass from the level previously indicated.

Question reference: S6W-07115

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 4 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the recent YouGov Polling, commissioned by British Glass, that reportedly highlights the will of consumers to keep glass recycling kerbside, rather than in a Deposit Return Scheme, and, in particular, what its response is to the reported findings that 90% of adults already recycle most of the time, and that 66% of adults have either never heard of the Deposit Return Scheme or do not know much about it.

We do not believe an enhanced kerbside scheme could deliver the level or rate of improvement that we will see through Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). Packaging recycling rates have stalled, including for glass, and the current producer responsibility system is not driving improvement.

In terms of public awareness, now that the implementation date of 16 August 2023 has been confirmed by the Scottish Parliament, we will work closely with Circularity Scotland Ltd to ensure that there is widespread understanding of DRS before the scheme is implemented.

Question reference: S6W-07116

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 3 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the recycling system being used in Wales is successful; for what reason such a system was not considered in detail in the Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland Final Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA), and whether it will consider deploying such a system as an alternative to its Deposit Return Scheme.

Whether the recycling system used in Wales is successful is a matter for the Welsh Government, not the Scottish Government. I would note, however, that the Welsh Government is also working to introduce a deposit return scheme (DRS), including the same materials as ours.

The Welsh Government is also, like the Scottish Government, working with the other UK administrations to bring in packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) from 2024 as a major reform to their recycling system. Packaging EPR for drinks containers was considered as an alternative to DRS in our final DRS Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment, which found that DRS would deliver more economic and environmental benefits.

Question reference: S6W-07117

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 29 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported decision in the Republic of Ireland to introduce a Deposit Return Scheme for plastic and cans only and not glass, and what its position is on the impact that adopting a similar approach to that being taken in Ireland or in Wales, regarding the implementation of recycling policy aims, would have on cost, complexity, practical, financial and logistical considerations, when compared with the anticipated impact of its proposed Deposit Return Scheme on the same considerations.

Any decision by the Republic of Ireland to exclude glass from their deposit return scheme (DRS) is a matter for them.

The Full Business Case Stage 1 for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), published on 8 May 2019 (pp36-37), considered the costs and benefits of including glass within the scheme and concluded that glass should be included due to the substantial environmental and economic benefits. The Scottish Government remains fully committed to this position, which is also that taken by the Welsh Government.

Question reference: S6W-07118

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 29 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any country in the world that has introduced, at the same time and on the same day, a deposit return scheme covering plastic cans and glass, and what its position is on whether the reported potential operational problems, costs and difficulties facing Scotland, in light of the introduction on 16 August 2023 of a scheme covering all three types of items, carry too much risk to be a prudent course of action for it to take.

Our Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is an important part of our response to the global climate emergency and the member is right that our scheme will be ambitious by international standards. The implementation date of 16 August 2023 was determined after extensive industry engagement and based on feedback from an independent Gateway Review and we consider it to strike the right balance between being stretching and also being deliverable .

Question reference: S6W-07830

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 29 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07108 by Lorna Slater on 22 March 2022, which states that the number of reverse vending machines (RVMs) that will be used in Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) was estimated at 3,021, whether it now estimates that number to be around 5,000, in light of this reportedly being stated in a DRS workshop held by Circularity Scotland in March 2022, and, if so, what action it will take to further amend the final BRIA to reflect the additional costs associated with this increased estimate.

Our best and final estimate of the number of reverse vending machines (RVMs) that will be required to operate Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is 3,021, as set out in Table 2 of the amended final Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) published on 15 December 2021. At the time of drafting the amended final BRIA, Circularity Scotland Ltd (CSL) confirmed that this matched their estimate.

We have had no further discussions with CSL regarding any estimated numbers of RVMs since that time and do not recognise the figure of around 5,000. Although it is entirely appropriate for CSL to continue to update its own assumptions regarding key parameters for DRS, our best and final estimate prior to implementation remains unchanged and we have no intention to further revisit the amended final BRIA.

Question reference: S6W-07831

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 29 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07108 by Lorna Slater on 22 March 2022, whether, at the time that the answer was provided, it had been advised by Circularity Scotland that the estimated number of reverse vending machines (RVMs) to be used for its Deposit Return Scheme would be around 5,000 rather 3,021, and, if so, for what reason this information was not disclosed in that answer.

As set out in the answer to S6W-07830 on 29 April 2022, we have had no further discussions with Circularity Scotland Ltd regarding any estimated numbers of reverse vending machines since the publication of the amended final Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment for our Deposit Return Scheme, and do not recognise the figure of around 5,000.

. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-07119

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 28 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding increasing recycling, what discussions it has had with (a) COSLA and (b) local authorities on the recycling model reportedly being pursued in Wales.

We are committed to continuing to work with COSLA and Local Authorities to meet Scotland’s ambitious waste reduction and recycling targets, to promote a circular economy and tackle the climate change crisis.

In May we will publish a consultation on a route map outlining how we will deliver our 2025 waste and recycling targets in a way that maximises carbon saving potential to 2025 and beyond. As part of the development of the route map, we have looked at high performing recycling systems across the world, including Wales. COSLA and local authority representatives have been involved in pre-consultation development of the route map. We have dedicated, regular forums with Local Authorities and COSLA to progress our shared waste and circular economy objectives.

We also continue to work closely with all four UK administrations to deliver packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) reforms, which will tackle excess packaging, and help fund improved local recycling collections of packaging waste from households.