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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-18428

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the First Minister and the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity last met to discuss the Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-18429

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet last discussed the Deposit Return Scheme.

The Cabinet has received regular updates on the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) and last discussed it on 6 June 2023. Cabinet was briefed on the latest position regarding letters exchanged with the UK Government on the Internal Market Act, in particular the UK Government’s refusal to provide a full exclusion despite detailed engagement over almost two years and the evidence that says the biggest benefits, economically, financially and environmentally, are from including glass.

Question reference: S6W-18432

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6T-01392 by Lorna Slater on 23 May 2023, whether it will list the membership of the high-level ministerial strategic group for the delivery of the scheme.

The membership of the Ministerial Strategic Assurance Group has representation from the following

Circularity Scotland Limited

SEPA

Zero Waste Scotland

Scottish Hospitality Group

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association

The British Beer and Pub Association

SIBA

British Soft Drinks Association

Scottish Wholesale Association

UK Hospitality

Scottish Retail Consortium

Scottish Grocers’ Federation

COSLA

Scotch Whisky Association

These groups had representatives from the organisations themselves and also some members of the organisations also attended.

I am joined by senior SG Officials from the Deposit Return Scheme Division.

Question reference: S6W-18426

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is still its position, as set out by the former Deputy First Minister in his letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 31 January 2023, that it "agrees with the goal of promoting long term alignment of [deposit return] schemes" across the UK.

The Scottish Government has always been clear that we will work closely with the UK and devolved Governments to maximise interoperability of the schemes, while acknowledging that waste and recycling policy is fully devolved.

In order to do this, the UK Government must provide clarity on its own deposit return scheme by introducing regulations for its scheme as soon as possible.

I wrote to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Defra’s Minister for Environmental Quality and Resilience on 6 June setting out that I was keen to work collaboratively with other administrations across the UK to push forward work on issues around interoperability, while ensuring that the wishes and competence of the Scottish Parliament are respected.

Question reference: S6W-18425

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Deposit Return Scheme Implementation Advisory Group last met.

Question reference: S6W-18378

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 12 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with GS1 UK.

Question reference: S6W-18382

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the (a) Welsh Government and (b) Northern Ireland Executive to discuss the Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-18376

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14626 by Lorna Slater on 28 February 2023, whether the guidance on the use of barcode stickers has been (a) produced and (b) published.

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.

Question reference: S6W-18299

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, following the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (IMG EFRA) on 17 April 2023, whether it has provided the additional information requested by the UK Government regarding the impact of the Deposit Return Scheme on businesses, and, if so, (a) on what date it did so and (b) what additional information it provided.

Throughout the development of DRS the Scottish Government and partners have developed and published a range of evidence on the benefits and impacts of the scheme.

The Scottish Government also provided all information which was required to make a decision on the IMA exclusion as part of the Common Framework Procedure.

The Scottish Government has responded promptly to any requests for further information from the UK Government to help with their decision on an IMA exclusion. In particular, on 18 and 28 April and 12 May, we provided further information on costs for businesses and consumers; on 18 May, we provided further information on the environmental and economic case for the inclusion of glass; and on 19 May, we provided further information on stakeholder views.

Question reference: S6O-02324

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to Pakistan, following the severe flooding that the country experienced in 2022.