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It is a really good point to highlight that no legislative powers, for example, are required to introduce that excellent nappy reuse scheme. I have spoken to the member about that before. I understand that it is a cost-neutral scheme that North Ayrshire Council runs.

I have asked Zero Waste Scotland to take on a role facilitating best practice among councils, because the recycling services that our councils provide and their reuse services are enormously variable. Given that the nappy scheme is a cost-neutral provision—it saves the council from having to deal with nappies, which are, I am told, a real problem for the contamination of waste and are not easily recyclable—it could be a real benefit for councils. I have tasked Zero Waste Scotland with that and I absolutely expect to see that in the route map.

I do not know whether any of the officials want to comment on the route map in that regard.

Yes. That is the fundamental difference between the bill and the specific provision on charging for single-use bags. The bill is a framework bill that will put in place powers to enable us to bring forward measures in a strategic way. By setting out a requirement for the Government to create a circular economy strategy and targets associated with that, we have put in place a framework to enable a more overarching approach.

I am happy to consider that. I have spoken to the construction industry. Last year, I spoke with the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, and it was particularly keen on material passports, passports for buildings and reporting, so that it can be aware of what materials are available for reuse and get systems in place. We want to do more work on that.

I am sorry, but there is one more provision in the bill that I want to be clear about. Some concerns have been voiced that the bill looks at only recycling and waste, so I want to be clear that there are many provisions of the bill that look higher up. Zero Waste Scotland has been very supportive of us, and it will now be a public body. I have asked it to undertake the sharing of good practice, particularly between our councils. For example, Moray Waste Busters, which many of you might be familiar with, is an exemplar of how reuse can be attached to a local authority for the benefit of the community and, of course, the local authority.

Do you mean the key findings of the report?

Absolutely. Mark Ruskell is absolutely right that the Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill establishes a legislative framework to support the transition. Each provision of the bill has an associated parliamentary procedure under which secondary legislation could be brought.

Mark Ruskell specifically mentioned charging for single-use items. There is intended to be a super-affirmative procedure attached to that when it is a new charge. For example, the introduction of a charge for single-use coffee cups would be done under the super-affirmative procedure. However, if we were to subsequently modify that charge, how it worked or any aspect of those regulations, that would be done under the affirmative procedure.

Ailsa Heine might be able to provide some more detail on the super-affirmative procedure.

As far as I understand it—I will get Ailsa Heine to clarify this, if I do not have all the detail—under the super-affirmative procedure, it is not set in stone exactly what must be undertaken. We can use our judgment as to what would be appropriate for different provisions, if there is a concern, for example, about speed.

Thank you for taking the time to consider the draft Plant Health (Fees) (Forestry) (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2023. The regulations would amend Scottish legislation in the field of plant health. They introduce provision to extend the duration of an exemption from the requirement to pay fees for phytosanitary certificates for forestry exports from Scotland to Northern Ireland, in certain circumstances, under the UK Government’s movement assistance scheme. That will support Scottish exporters after the transition period and will ensure that Scottish exporters retain access to the same support as their English and Welsh counterparts.

As Northern Ireland remains part of the European Union plant health system, exports from Scotland to Northern Ireland are required to fulfil EU entry requirements, including phytosanitary certificates. The movement assistance scheme, which is funded by the UK Government, temporarily removes the requirement for exporters to pay fees associated with obtaining a phytosanitary certificate for the export of plants and plant products to Northern Ireland. The movement assistance scheme has been extended to June 2025.

The draft regulations also include a minor amendment to the wording of schedule 1 of the Plant Health (Fees) (Forestry) (England and Scotland) Regulations 2015 in order to provide greater clarity on the scope of activities that may be carried out in relation to audit inspections by competent authorities of professional operators authorised to issue GB plant passports.

I consider the regulations necessary and appropriate. My officials and I would be happy to take questions from the committee.

The difference is that this is a strategic bill, where we are setting out our strategic intentions to reduce waste, to improve opportunities in recycling, and to be able to create jobs in that circular economy. That is absolutely our strategic intention, and the bill is strategic. The specific pieces of policy implementation will be part of the secondary legislation and, indeed, work on our route map and so forth as we go forward. The details of specific provisions—for example, the reporting of waste from a specific industry, such as the cosmetics industry—will be developed with that industry. That is exactly the point. At this point, this is the strategic level and, therefore, we are putting in strategic level implications.

I think that the correct process for bringing forth legislation of this complexity is to first enable, as the bill does, the start of that conversation. If one does not do that, one will end up in a situation in which councils and businesses are asked to invest a substantial amount of time to undertake the development of legislation that may never get through the Parliament; it may not happen. That would be the wrong way around. You would be asking stakeholders to design a process that we did not even have the powers to implement, and you would be sitting in a committee much like this asking councils to develop something that you would not even know whether you had the powers to implement.

We must understand that we have these enabling powers so that we can then say to councils, “We have the powers to implement this. You can have that certainty. Let us work on the detail together.” If you had it the other way around, you could do a whole lot of work without those powers in place, and how would you prioritise that work?

The bill brings forward 11 provisions—I have just counted. Several of those have provisions underneath them for bringing policy forward. There will be separate co-design processes for different elements. For example, under the single-use charges, the initial policy that we are looking to bring forward is a charge for single-use cups. The process for developing that with businesses, householders and local authorities is separate from the process for developing a common code of practice for local authorities and waste, for example. That would be separate from developing targets or, indeed, from developing the reporting for waste and so on.

The bill has many provisions. There will not be a single co-design process. As we bring forward each of the policies under the bill, each will have its own timescale. I believe that those will be enumerated in more detail in the route map. Maybe one of my colleagues can elaborate on that.