- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 31 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of targeting support to encourage people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds to access university programmes related to careers in roles vital to the critical minerals sector.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no role in directing individuals to a particular university programme. Universities are responsible for their own admissions processes and it is for them to decide how they wish to allocate places to each course.
We remain absolutely committed to the principle that access to education should be based on the ability to learn and not the ability to pay, and will continue to work with SFC and the sector to maintain our commitment to the widening access agenda.
SFC are committed to investing in education that is accessible to learners from all backgrounds and monitors each institutions progress on widening access as part of their role.
Scotland's universities are amongst the best in the world. We want every child, no matter their background, to have an equal chance of entering and succeeding in higher education. By 2030, we want 20% of students entering university to be from Scotland's 20% most deprived backgrounds. With 16.5% of full-time first degree entrants coming from the 20% most deprived areas in 2021-22, we achieved the interim Commission on Widening Access target to have 16% by 2021.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 31 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17388 by Lorna Slater on 10 May 2023, how many producers are liable for advance payments, and what the sum total is of advance payments liable from producers until the 1 March 2024 launch date.
Answer
As Circularity Scotland is a private company, contractual arrangements they have with their members, including any payments as part of their producer agreement, is a matter for them and it would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to intervene in such commercial arrangements between private companies.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 31 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether consumers in Scotland will be free to order for delivery Deposit Return Scheme articles requiring no deposit from retailers based outwith Scotland, and, if not, what steps it plans to take to prevent such deliveries.
Answer
The Deposit Return Scheme regulations apply to all types of drinks sold in Scotland that are packaged in single-use containers made from PET plastic, glass, steel or aluminium, sized between 100ml and 3 litres. This includes online retailers selling products into the Scottish market.
The DRS Regulations give SEPA the power to investigate suspected non-compliance and take enforcement action where necessary.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17316 by Lorna Slater on 5 May 2023, whether it will provide a list of the sites referred to along with the stage of construction and/or operational progress achieved for each.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
Circularity Scotland is a not-for-profit private company established on behalf of the industry to deliver the legal responsibilities of drinks producers under Scotland's deposit return scheme regulations. Requests for information relating to its sites should be directed to them.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16926 by Lorna Slater on 5 May 2023, whether waste packaging collected and recycled through the Deposit Return Scheme will be able to be identified in Scotland's waste statistics.
Answer
Annual waste data will be submitted to SEPA who will also undertake verification inspections. It is our intention to ensure that DRS packaging data is identified in our waste data reporting.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16932 by Lorna Slater on 2 May 2023, what measurable impact those efforts have had in increasing textiles reuse.
Answer
Zero Waste Scotland is not measuring or assessing textiles reuse systematically at a national level.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2023
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the third sector.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2023
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much (a) funding and (b) staff resource it has allocated to the Compost at Home campaign since 2007.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
The Compost at Home campaign ran from 2007 to 2010. It predates the formation of Zero Waste Scotland in 2014, therefore information on funding and staff resource is not available.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much (a) funding and (b) staff resource it has allocated to the Real Nappy Campaign in Scotland in each year since 2007.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
The Scottish Government is not currently directly involved in the Real Nappy Campaign or any other similar campaign in Scotland. It promotes the use of reusable nappies through Scotland’s Baby Box and its Parentclub website ( www.parentclub.scot) , as well as the Ready Steady Baby resource ( www.nhsinform.scot/ready-steady-baby/early-parenthood/caring-for-your-new-baby/nappies/ )
Zero Waste Scotland supported the Real Nappy Campaign in printed and digital form and at events until 2013-14,
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 18 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when the latest Deposit Return Scheme gateway review will be published.
Answer
We are committed to transparency and openness in our administration of the Deposit Return Scheme. The Scottish Government is carefully considering the recommendations from the latest review, and has committed to sharing the recommendations and its response with the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee in due course.