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As stated in the response to S6W-14626, Circularity Scotland set out the requirement to use a GS1 compliant barcode in 2021 and this has not changed – it is an international standard. The ability to use a UK-wide EAN barcode within Scotland’s DRS was confirmed by SEPA in Summer 2022. Guidance on the use of barcode stickers, to support smaller producers who don’t currently use them on their products will be published in due course by Circularity Scotland.

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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-16495 on 14 April 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Scottish Government is aware of the investment to Circularity Scotland by the Scottish National Investment Bank. The Bank makes commercial investments and operates its investment processes independently of Scottish Government.

As with all public bodies, governance arrangements are reviewed continually to ensure they remain effective. A routine appointment process for vacant SFC board positions is currently underway.

In September 2022, Ministers initiated an Independent Review of the Skills Delivery Landscape focused on the skills functions of Scotland’s national public bodies including Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council.

The Independent Review has been led by James Withers and its findings and recommendations were published on 7 June. The Scottish Government will consider the recommendations, including any implications for the governance of the Scottish Funding Council, in the context of work on lifelong education and skills reform.

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.

The Scottish Government has recently engaged with Councils regarding Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete, including through the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland and Scottish Heads of Property Services networks. The Scottish Government has had no direct contact with COSLA on this issue. Safety in public buildings is a matter for the owner and we expect them to provide a safe environment for all users.

The Scottish Government (SG) has not identified any reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in the Core SG Estate. As such no funding has been requested or made available. The SG Core Estate is defined as those sites/buildings where SG Directorates operate from.

Full fibre is now available to over 1.2 million properties in Scotland, with coverage now standing at 45% – an increase of 14 percentage points from January 2022 and 26 percentage points from January 2021.

This represents an increase of over 400,000 premises in the past 12 months – the largest year-on-year increase in full fibre coverage we have seen in Scotland to date.

The Scottish Government's Reaching 100% (R100) programme is contributing to this by delivering a significant number of fibre to the premises (FTTP) connections through the R100 contracts.

In order to ensure that customers on lower incomes can access reliable broadband at a more affordable cost Ofcom, as telecoms regulator, is urging internet service providers to offer a social tariff.

Social tariffs are more affordable broadband and phone packages for people claiming Universal Credit, Pension Credit and some other benefits.

Details of social tariffs that are currently available are provided on the Ofcom website: Social tariffs: Cheaper broadband and phone packages - Ofcom .

The New Deal for Business Group will include business leaders, along with representatives from organisations including the Scottish Retail Consortium, Scottish Tourism Alliance and Fraser of Allander Institute. The membership for the New Deal Business Group has been finalised and agreed by the First Minister.

The New Deal for Business Group has met twice (17 May and 1 June) with representation across a range of business sectors, sizes and locations in both the Group’s membership and members and contributors to the five subgroup’s led by Scottish Government and Business. We have encouraged the business leads to reach out to their networks to ensure as wide a reach as possible and have recently published a mailbox ( NewDealBusinessGroup@gov.scot ) to facilitate contributions from across Scotland’s business community.

Through Creative Scotland we will raise awareness with the creative industries of this facility. The Group is due to report its recommendations to the First Minister at the end of June. After that time, we will review membership aligned with those recommendations.