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The Scottish Government is clear that there is an important role for bioenergy, including biofuels, in reducing emissions and contributing to our circular economy ambitions.

We are currently engaging with potential projects, particularly via the Grangemouth Investor Taskforce, which could not only increase our domestic production of biofuels, but also secure an industrial future for Grangemouth.

On 1 June 2025, the Scottish Government introduced a ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes in the course of business in Scotland. This fulfilled our 2023 Programme for Government commitment to take measures to tackle the environmental impact of single-use vapes. The ban was introduced alongside wider measures to require all retailers of vapes to provide a take back service for used vapes, and to strengthen recycling obligations on vape producers.

As a result of the ban, it has been illegal to sell or supply single-use vapes in the course of business in Scotland, and across the UK, for eight months. Public polling conducted by Keep Scotland Beautiful in August 2025, shortly after the introduction of the ban, showed a slight decrease in the percentage of people reporting vapes in litter than the previous year. The ban was also welcomed by a range of civic society and environmental groups. However, it remains too early to assess the impact of the ban as robust data are not yet available. We will be reviewing the longer-term policy outcomes in alignment with other nations, with the aim of publishing a full evaluation in 2028. We also continue to assess whether any further policy measures are required to address the environmental impact of vapes and support a circular economy.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) do not systematically record all of this information but reports that they are aware of the following:

Lithium-ion batteries should not be disposed of in the residual waste stream and must clearly display markings relating to their disposal (the crossed out wheelie bin symbol). They are hazardous waste, pose safety risks due to fire, and result in valuable material being lost from Scotland’s economy.

Products containing lithium-ion batteries are regulated under both the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations and the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations. Producers of these products must fund collection and recycling infrastructure, and the Scottish Government is working on a four-nation basis to reform waste batteries legislation to strengthen product standards and set statutory recovery and recycling targets for lithium batteries.

UK retailers selling electrical items containing a lithium-ion battery, including vapes, must offer a free takeback service for used items and meet statutory recycling targets. In 2025, a new category of Electrical and Electronic Equipment was established for vapes to ensure producers of vape products are legally required to finance the collection, recycling, and safe disposal of used vapes. New targets for vape-specific collections will be introduced in 2026.

The Scottish Government will consider further measures to divert lithium-ion batteries from the residual waste stream in its forthcoming product stewardship plan. This includes working with the UK Government and other nations on proposals set out in the WEEE consultation and call for evidence, held in 2024.

Further to the answers which Alasdair Allan MSP provided to questions S6W-31744 and S6W-31743 on 5 and 6 December 2024, I can confirm that there has been no change to the estimated ranges given below.

The most recent review of the population of British mammals, published in 2018, estimated the Scottish population of grey squirrels to be between 249000 and 808000 individuals; and the Scottish population of red squirrels at between 181,000 and 444,000 individuals.

Regarding the locations of the remaining populations of grey squirrels they are broadly distributed within three main zones as follows:

• The South of Scotland
• The Central Belt, Ayrshire and north-eastwards to Angus
• Aberdeen City

The South of Scotland population stretches across much of Dumfries & Galloway and the Scottish Borders, although not continuously, as there appears to be a gap in the species’ distribution from approximately Moffat to Langholm. In the east, grey squirrels occur in a strip near the coast from the English Border up to Edinburgh and up the Tweed Valley north-westwards into South Lanarkshire, thereby linking the southern population with the “Central Belt” population.

The “Central Belt” population extends from South Ayrshire northwards to Glasgow, Lanarkshire and the Firth of Clyde, extending up to the south of Loch Lomond (including several of the islands) and the Cowal Peninsula and eastwards to include Falkirk, Edinburgh and the Lothians. Northwards grey squirrels extend up to Stirling and Perth, across Fife and Clackmannanshire and over much of lowland Perthshire and Angus up to just north of Montrose.

The isolated Aberdeen population is restricted almost entirely to the City of Aberdeen and is the subject of an ongoing eradication programme as part of the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project.

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.

The draft Budget ensures the estimated revenues raised from non-domestic rates in 2026-27 will be 6% lower in real terms measured by CPI than pre-COVID, despite the number of properties on the valuation roll increasing in that time, and introduces the lowest Basic Property Rate for 2026-27 since 2018-19.

Businesses and communities will be supported with a generous non-domestic rates relief package worth an estimated £864 million in 2026-27, including the Small Business Bonus Scheme which remains the most generous scheme of its kind in the UK and is confirmed for the next three years, as well as transitional relief schemes for eligible ratepayers.

Recognising the challenges faced by the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, for the next three years we will offer 15% relief for eligible properties in these sectors liable for the Basic or Intermediate Property Rate, capped at £110,000 per business per year; and extend and expand 100% relief for the next three years to retail, hospitality and leisure premises located on islands as defined by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, and in prescribed remote areas (Cape Wrath, Knoydart and Scoraig) capped at £110,000 per business per year.

It is estimated that around half of the properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors will continue to be eligible for 100% Small Business Bonus relief in 2026-27. A further 37,000 properties could benefit from the new 15% relief for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a rateable value up to and including £100,000, and eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties on Islands.

Taken together around 96% of retail, hospitality and leisure businesses could benefit from some form of relief in 2026-27.

The Scottish Government has prioritised action on marine litter through the Marine Litter Strategy for Scotland. We published our refreshed Strategy in September 2022, which sets out a co-ordinated approach to address the amount of litter entering the marine environment, and supports the removal of debris that is already there. The Strategy contains multiple actions on the most problematic types of marine litter including sewage-related debris and wet wipes. We continue to work across the four nations to put an end to pollution caused by wet wipes containing plastic, with Scottish legislation forthcoming.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42174 on 9 December 2025. 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.