Seòmar agus comataidhean

I am also thinking about regulators. We got feedback from auditors and regulators on what would look like a good climate change plan. This committee wrote in March summarising the responses that it had had; key issues were the level of detail on costs and the need for transparency. It is partly about ambition of policy, and about the detail of what will be in the climate change plan.

You said that you are having a lot of engagement and discussions. There is something about having confidence in the climate change plan and what will sit alongside it, so that people can see that action is actually going to happen. What feedback do you have on that?

Having listened to the evidence from experts this morning, we know that we need to act fast and decisively because carbon emissions are a massive issue around the globe. We will have major shifts in world climate; we are already seeing extreme weather, such as forest fires, which we have not talked about today but which could impact on peatland emissions; and we have 280,000 homes that are already at risk of flooding. We need more joined-up thinking and action; resilience and adaptation need to go together.

Another thing that we have not really talked about is how we will get the economic benefits of this in our communities across Scotland. We are still waiting for the energy strategy. We need a more detailed climate change plan and the investment that will transform our constituents’ lives and create the jobs, including local jobs, as well as the manufacturing and heat networks that could deliver lower bills, but we are not seeing the detail of that. We have talked about tree planting, for example. Where could we get more community benefits from tree planting?

There are lots of opportunities here. However, it is not about warm words; there must be a plan for action. We have climate and nature crises, and the Scottish Government needs to do more to bring people with us to make the transformation that we need, because it is sustainable development that will tackle what will be real challenges—the Gulf stream, for example, although we did not talk about that today. We might not be here in 30 years’ time, but the next generation will be, and it will be more than a challenge—there will be massive problems. This is a time for action, detail, information and bringing people with us, and the Scottish Government needs to do way more than it is doing at the moment.

Why have we not had a consultation on these changes? How is the Scottish Government engaging and ensuring that the feedback from key sectors and stakeholders is fed in, given, as you outlined in your initial comments, the quite significant changes that have been made in the past two years? Have any particular concerns been raised by smaller producers, local authorities or non-governmental organisations?

It is good to get that on the record, too.

How will the powers in the bill in relation to the environmental impact assessment interact with the proposals from the UK Government to move to a system of environmental outcomes reports, under powers that were introduced in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, and the proposals for new powers in relation to EIAs that are in the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill?

There was a big discussion previously about the money—I think that it was the best part of £1 billion—that the Welsh Government gave local authorities to improve their recycling processes. Will you give us a bit more information on the parallel discussion in Scotland? You mentioned local authorities’ kerbside collections. Some local authorities have lobbied the committee because they get an income from that. Is a discussion continuing about how we can use a mixture of the EPR regulations and the fact that glass is not included in the DRS requirements to improve those recycling processes?

Some constituents find it harder than others to take glass back, and having it picked up at the kerbside outside their homes is a lot easier for them. Will you talk about the income for local authorities and how we could make things work more effectively to increase the recycling rate for glass?

Can you give us any stats that show the differences between local authorities’ collection rates and income generation?

It is also important to consider how the glass is used. I remember being lobbied about that last time we discussed this. There are companies in the private sector that want to repurpose and reuse glass. It would be really good to get some feedback on the economics of that.

How are you monitoring milestones, and when will they be met? To what extent will that be publicly reported as we approach the deadline of October 2027? What do local authorities need to do to ensure that this happens on time?

Sure. Just to clarify, what is your timescale for publishing regular updates on the milestones?

That is just under a year away.

Will voluntary return points be part of that process? Will it be possible to feed in to the decision on where they will be to ensure that people can access them?