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The Scottish Government is taking significant steps to imbed the principles of a Circular Economy, enabling the increased recovery of sustainable materials, including those limiting emissions along entire material and product lifecycles. Within our draft Circular Economy Route Map the Scottish Government has also committed to creating a Product Stewardship Strategy, with the aim of minimising the health, safety, environmental and social impacts of products. We will focus on policies and activities which have the greatest environmental and economic impact while continuing to encourage best practice by all businesses and consumers, with the aim to produce, consume and manage resources as effectively as possible. We are engaging with research from ZWS, SEPA and other partners, along with looking at best practice internationally to ensure the policy interventions in this area are not only effective but as impactful as possible.

Alongside this, the 2023 Programme for Government outlined that we would continue to work on how we will help businesses and investors to realise the enormous economic opportunities of the global transition to net zero and create good, well-paid jobs across Scotland. Work is already happening at pace in various areas including how best to use and support research with the aim of capturing economic benefit from the transition to net zero.

We will focus on policies and activities that have the greatest environmental and economic impact while continuing to encourage best practice by all businesses and consumers, with the aim to produce, consume and manage resources as effectively as possible. The Product Stewardship Strategy will set out a clear, cohesive approach to tackling the environmental and social impacts of products placed on the Scottish market, making the most of opportunities within the competence of the Scottish Government to reduce the environmental impacts of products and goods, and being clear where this requires further action from the UK Government.

Between 28 December 2023 and 7 March 2024, the Scottish Government, along with the UK, Welsh and Northern Irish governments, held a consultation on reforming the producer responsibility system for waste electricals and electronic equipment (WEEE). This consultation sought views on a number of policy reforms. Along with this our Circular Economy Route Map the Scottish Government has also committed to creating a Product Stewardship Strategy, with the aim of minimising the health, safety, environmental and social impacts of products and packaging. Recognising the significant e-waste impact of single-use vapes, The Scottish Government is also introducing regulations to ban these products, incentivising more resource-efficient design and ensuring any vapes on the market are both rechargeable and refillable.

Effective product stewardship policies can help to meet our objective of having a circular economy. They reduce waste by decreasing the materials needed for production, and by increasing product lifespan. They increase recycling by providing incentives to collect, re-use and recycling products and their component parts. They help keep products and materials within the circular economy and reduce waste to landfill.

While the Scottish Government recognises the need to ensure that we have effective infrastructure and technologies to enable the increased recovery of critical minerals, we acknowledge the complexities of critical mineral markets. Data is often not readily available, markets can be volatile, and supply chains are fraught with environmental, social and governance issues.

Better data availability is in all our interests to support well-functioning markets and responsible, traceable supply chains, to help de-risk investments and development of new projects. We are working with the UK, Welsh and Northern Irish governments and regulators to implement a UK-wide mandatory digital waste tracking service. The digital waste tracking service will improve the quality of waste data and make it easier to identify opportunities to keep materials in use for as long as possible and ensure nothing is wasted.

While not in direct response to the report, between 28 December 2023 and 7 March 2024, the Scottish Government, along with the UK, Welsh and Northern Irish governments, held a consultation on reforming the producer responsibility system for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). This consultation sought views on a number of policy reforms, including the introduction of a producer financed household collection system for small and large items of WEEE, enhancing retailer obligations to provide a free collection on delivery service for large appliances, extending obligations to online marketplaces, creating a category for vapes to ensure that treatment and collection costs are borne by vapes producers, and establishing a new WEEE scheme administrator.

Between 28 December 2023 and 7 March 2024, the Scottish Government, along with the UK, Welsh and Northern Irish governments, held a consultation on reforming the producer responsibility system for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). This consultation sought views on a number of policy reforms, including the introduction of a producer financed household collection system for small and large items of WEEE, enhancing retailer obligations to provide a free collection on delivery service for large appliances, extending obligations to online marketplaces, creating a category for vapes to ensure that treatment and collection costs are borne by vapes producers, and establishing a new WEEE scheme administrator.

While we do not have Scotland-specific data on the scale of e-waste, it was calculated as part of our impact assessments that an estimated 155kt of WEEE is disposed of in household residual waste collections in the UK annually, which is then sent to landfill and energy from waste. This is equivalent to 5.3kg per household per year.

The Scottish Government published the refreshed National Events Strategy for Scotland 2024-2035 today.

Developing this strategy has been a collaborative effort, shaped by voices from across the event sector, Trade Unions, Local Authorities and the wider public sector. Following a consultation and engagement process clear agreed priorities have emerged to shape a strategy that provides focus for the whole sector, bringing everyone together to deliver a shared ambition.

This strategy can sustain and develop a dynamic, resilient, and responsible events sector that is a valued part of Scotland’s wellbeing economy, maintaining Scotland’s reputation as the perfect stage for events. It will ensure Scotland continues to support a dynamic portfolio of events – from regular local community events to Scotland’s signature events and festivals, to one off international business, cultural and sporting events.

The Scottish Government remains committed to continuing to work with the existing strong partnerships across Scotland – as well as creating new relationships in a collaborative and cohesive approach, helping to maximise our collective resources.

A copy of the strategy is available using this URL – https://www.visitscotland.org/about-us/what-we-do/events .

I have asked Janet Egdell, Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

National Records of Scotland have today published: “ Scotland’s Census 2022: Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion ”.

The publication includes unrounded population estimates and the first set of topic data from the 2022 census. Topic data includes census tables for the following variables:

• Ethnic group
• National identity
• Country of birth
• Religion
• Passports held
• Main language
• Gaelic language skills
• Scots language skills
• English language skills
• British Sign Language

Topic variables are broken down by age and sex. Where possible, data will be published at the lowest geographic level possible following assessment of disclosure protection.

Scotland’s Census results are designated as National Statistics and form an integral part of the statistical system in the UK. The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), the independent regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority , awards Accredited Official Statistics designation based on the quality, good practice and comprehensiveness of official statistics.

More detail about the schedule for future reports can be found at: https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/about/2022-census/census-outputs-schedule/