Seòmar agus comataidhean

Your question was useful, convener.

I want to ask about issues with electrical and battery waste, at Friarton in Perth in particular, where we have seen four fires under the site’s successive owners. We have seen similar fires at other waste management sites around Scotland, too. I suppose that that touches on elements of fire safety, which are potentially outwith SEPA’s remit; as with salmon farming, you share regulation of the sites with other bodies.

I just wanted to get your reflections on that, though, because what the public are seeing are the same sites and the same fires, time after time. It would be useful to know whether you believe that the regulatory framework that you work under is enough at the moment to tackle not only those huge pollution incidents but the elements of risk that workers at the sites and local communities face? It seems that we are seeing a vast increase in the amount of battery waste in society, and there are perhaps questions to ask about whether that will be regulated effectively, given that we do not seem to fully understand the risks around fires and other such issues.

Nicole, did you want to come back in on that?

You wanted to come in on this matter, convener. I have another question after that.

I return to Bob Doris’s questions about full-fare-paying passengers and fare increases over time. As I understand it, between 2012 and 2022, fare prices increased by between 65 and 70 per cent across Scotland. That compares with the cost of motoring, which went up by only 35 per cent during that period. There appears to be a gap.

Drawing on Mr Doris’s comments, I am a little concerned that companies might look at the model and think that they will get a higher reimbursement rate if they keep pushing up the fares. Carole Stewart is shaking her head, so maybe that is not the case. Folks who are getting on a bus every day are seeing those increases and they are making a decision about whether to leave the car at home. If it is becoming cheaper to drive, that is an issue.

Is not the wider fare capping an issue with the model? Effectively, it means that higher fares result in more money for the companies. Carole Stewart is still shaking her head. Does she want to come in?

Can you show with the model how that has played out over the period from 2012 to 2022, when adult bus fares went up by between 65 and 70 per cent? Was there a corresponding reduction in that reimbursement rate over time?

It would be good to see how that plays out through the model, rather than it just being—

I did not ask for a comparator with other parts of the UK. I want to know, on the best evidence that we have, whether the current standards are adequate to deliver a healthy environment.

If you have more detail on the status of those conversations, specifically in relation to the WHO guidelines, that would be useful.

On greenhouse gases and ammonia, the CAFS strategy says that you have been working with

“the agricultural industry to develop a voluntary code of good agricultural practice for improving air quality in Scotland.”

You are directly involved in that CAFS workstream. I am interested in what progress you have made towards developing that code, who has been involved in that development and whether you think that a voluntary code is the right way forward or whether we should be moving towards using regulation—or a mixture of both.

It would be useful for the committee to see any update that you have in relation to how you have adopted those ESS recommendations in a timely manner, if we have missed it.

Do we fully understand the impact of damage caused by game? I am thinking about avian flu. Would a mass release of pheasants in the countryside have an impact on the spread of avian flu and disease? Is that seen as damage? It feels as though we do not have a full grasp of some of the impacts of game. That came up in some of the committee’s private discussions with stakeholders.

Thanks for the useful detail.

My last question is about deer. If tenants have a limited right to control deer on their land, does that preclude them from claiming compensation for deer damage?