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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-18402

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 12 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of any termination of the Deposit Return Scheme on local authority (a) budgets, (b) public procurement contracts and (c) waste management services.

The Scottish Government is committed to the benefits of our Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). However, following the UK Government's decision not to provide a full exclusion to the Internal Market Act I have announced in Parliament that we will be pushing the launch of the DRs back to October 2023.

A set of impact assessments including an Equalities Impact Assessment, Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment, Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment and Island Communities Impact Assessment were published alongside the original DRS Regulations in 2020. This included the impact on local authority budgets. Any significant changes to the scheme will most likely require further engagement with stakeholders, impact assessments and regulatory change.

Scottish Government has regular engagements with local government and other key stakeholders. Local government is represented on our Ministerial Strategic Advisory Group, and our Hospitality Sector Group, as well as on the Waste and Resources Sector Forum and joint Scottish Government/Local Government Strategic Steering group on Circular Economy and Waste with respect to wider waste and circular economy policy. They will have a role to play in the governance of the DR which will look at strategic and operational issues.

Question reference: S6O-02375

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent water scarcity updates from SEPA, which state that the majority of Scotland is now affected by water scarcity, what assessment it has made of the impact of water scarcity conditions on peatland restoration and the ability to sequester carbon.

Question reference: S6W-18401

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of any impact that the delay to the launch date of the Deposit Return Scheme, from August 2023 to March 2024, has had on local authority (a) budgets, (b) public procurement contracts and (c) waste management services.

A set of impact assessments including an Equalities Impact Assessment, Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment, Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment and Island Communities Impact Assessment were published alongside the original DRS Regulations in 2020. These have been updated to reflect previous amendments and we will shortly publish revisions to these in light of the amendments laid in May.

Scottish Government has regular engagements with local government and other key stakeholders. Local government is represented on our Ministerial Strategic Advisory Group, and our Hospitality Sector Group. They will have a role to play in the governance of the scheme which will look at strategic and operational issues.

Question reference: S6W-18406

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether producers who sell less than 5,000 articles in a year of all products and have already registered as a producer within the Deposit Return Scheme will be released from their producer agreement, and, if so, whether this will be automatic or by application.

Producers who will sell less than 5000 articles in a year of all product lines are eligible to be a listed producer. Listed producers must still be registered with SEPA, but these low-volume drinks will not attract a deposit.

SEPA and Circularity Scotland are working together to identify those who are already registered, eligible and wish to become a listed producer. Any producer in this category is encouraged to contact Circularity Scotland. These producers will not have to re-apply to SEPA, or provide additional information on their products for the first year of DRS.

Questions about the scheme administrator producer agreement should be directed to Circularity Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-18400

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what role the payback of loans from the Scottish National Investment Bank to Circularity Scotland will play in its feasibility assessment of the Deposit Return Scheme, in light of the launch date being delayed from August 2023 to March 2024.

Question reference: S6W-18399

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what financial impact assessments have been undertaken in relation to any potential for termination of the Deposit Return Scheme at (a) 10, (b) six and (c) three months before the planned launch date of 1 March 2024.

The Scottish Government is committed to the benefits of our Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). The financial assumptions contained within the related Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) showed the projected cost of compliance with Scotland’s DRS regulations which were passed by this Parliament. A full suite of impact assessments were published at the time of the original regulations and these have been updated in light of subsequent amendments – we will shortly publish revisions to reflect the amendment regulations laid last month. Termination of the DRS was not considered.

Question reference: S6W-18248

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 1 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to commission a report on how to encourage responsible private investment into the restoration and expansion of Scotland's rainforest in order to support the Rainforest Restoration Fund model proposed by environmental NGOs, similar to the report that it published recently on encouraging responsible private investment in peatland restoration, Mobilising private investment in natural capital.

Rainforest expansion and restoration is a key Scottish Government priority. Scottish Forestry manages the Woodland Carbon Code which offers opportunities to expand and restore Scotland’s rainforests in line the Scottish Government’s Interim Principles for Responsible Investment in Natural Capital, which can be found at https://www.gov.scot/publications/interim-principles-for-responsible-investment-in-natural-capital/ .

Whilst there are no imminent plans to commission a report similar to the one for peatland, Scottish Forestry have also just appointed a new Rainforest Action Co-ordinator and one of the tasks is to develop a framework of potential funding sources. Part of that work will be to further encourage private investment where possible, working closely with partners and stakeholders such as the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest, and commission work as required.

Question reference: S6O-02336

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that police officers are fully resourced.

Question reference: S6O-02287

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring that opportunities for continuing professional development are regularly available to healthcare professionals.

Question reference: S6O-02237

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what "concrete action" it anticipates taking on the proposals outlined in relation to "Michelle’s Law", which were discussed in the debate on the Michelle's Law Campaign on 6 September 2018.