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-05594

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 January 2022

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 Government to supplement the findings of the review.

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 listed on p13 of the amended Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment ( https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781802018875 ) but not in the Gateway Review met separately with the Scottish Government to supplement the findings of the review.

Question reference: S6W-05495

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 January 2022

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.

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 the impact of litter, and from efficiencies to collection services following the implementation of DRS.

ZWS has no current plans to update its modelling. However, it is engaging with individual local authorities, in particular the three currently projected not to make savings, to assess the impacts of DRS on them and look at options for service improvements.

Question reference: S6W-05593

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 January 2022

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.

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 date of July-September 2023 was possible albeit with significant risk.

The Gateway Review does not give a breakdown of preparedness estimates for individual businesses. Businesses interviewed separately by SG typically gave ranges of preparedness estimates, which broadly aligned with the findings of the Gateway Review, rather than an exact time.

Question reference: S6W-05492

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 January 2022

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.

Question reference: S6W-05493

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 January 2022

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.

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 and only data set currently available relating to scrap steel management in Scotland, scaled to allow for different scenarios to be modelled and compared within a Scottish context.

Question reference: S6W-05494

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 January 2022

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.

Question reference: S6W-05188

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 18 January 2022

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.

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 is no requirement under the terms of the Direction for that project to be notified to Ministers, unless for example a revised or additional planning application for the development is submitted.

Question reference: S6W-05356

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 18 January 2022

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

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-back Scheme; ii) offer in-store take-back or iii) provide an alternative free take-back service that is available and accessible to customers. WEEE deposited at such facilities, or at household recycling centres, must be managed in accordance with waste management legislation and local planning requirements. These designated collection facilities track the amount of WEEE going for onward treatment, recycling, reuse and disposal.

SEPA regulates waste management activities in Scotland through Waste Management Licences (WMLs) and Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) permits. Operators are required to report waste data to SEPA on a quarterly or annual basis as specified in their licence, permit or exemption. Once these statutory waste data are collected and quality assured, they are used to check compliance with the licence or permit, and to fulfil statutory and non-statutory reporting obligations.

Question reference: S6W-05357

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 18 January 2022

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

Question reference: S6W-05355

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 January 2022

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.