Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35206 on 23 February 2021. Scottish Government officials engage regularly with representatives of the other UK administrations to understand their intentions regarding the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). We are open to working with the other administrations to ensure our schemes are compatible, but this must be on the basis of this not diluting the ambition of our own scheme.

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 .

Development and implementation of the IT systems required to deliver Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is a matter for the individual organisations that will play a role in delivering DRS, including the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Circularity Scotland Ltd, and wider industry. In particular, procurement of reverse vending machines is a matter for retailers choosing to operate automatic return points.

SEPA is working with retailers to help them understand their obligations as return points operators under the Regulations and in compliance with other applicable environmental regulations.

The Scottish Government and NatureScot are currently considering the wider implications of the Court of Session judgment in relation to licences issued for the purposes of beaver management.

Of the five complaints under consideration by the Court, four were rejected entirely. The fifth point, which was accepted by the Court, relates to the inclusion of a statement of reasons for licences issued. This finding will be reflected within licensing procedures going forward and reasons will now be published with all beaver and other European Protected Species licences issued.

The legal purpose of section 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is the protection of certain wild animals.

Tackling biodiversity loss is a key priority for the Scottish Government and as outlined in our 2021-22 Programme for Government, we are committed to preventing any further extinctions of wildlife and halting declines by 2030, and making significant progress in restoring Scotland’s natural environment by 2045.

a) There are 6 planned training sessions for Community First Responders between November 2021 and March 2022. Each training session will accommodate up to a maximum of 12 trainees. These courses are scheduled to be held in Braemar (Grampian), Glasgow (Greater Glasgow & Clyde), RAF Lossiemouth (Grampian), Grangemouth (Forth Valley) and Portree (Highland).

b)

i) There are 765 Community First Responders across Scotland and approximately 80 Wildcat Cardiac Responders.

ii) The Scottish Ambulance Service recruited 199 Community First Responders between 2019 and 2021. In March 2020 utilisation of Community First Responders was suspended due to COVID-19 and the need to establish safe and effective processes with the subsequent delivery of training in the use of PPE and enhanced Infection & Prevention Control measures. This commenced in Sept ’20 with the majority back on-line by March ’21.

The new statutory scheme is for bus travel only and does not extend to ferry travel. The soon to be published Island Communities Impact Assessment will discuss this in more detail and ferry fares are being reviewed as part of the forthcoming Islands Connectivity Plan.

We are also committed to taking forward our Fair Fares Review to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares, looking at the range of discounts and concessionary schemes which are available on all modes including bus, rail and ferry. The review will look at both cost and availability of services.

Internal ferries, including the setting of fares and holding information about services and travellers, is wholly the responsibility of the local authority. However, recognising the challenges this brings, the Scottish Government has provided over £50m to local authorities in the last four years on top of the local government settlement to support internal ferries.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

NHS staff on duty within prisons will provide a clinical response to an overdose in custody, including the administration of naloxone during the day.

To date a total of 272 operational night shift staff across the prison estate have received training in the administration of naloxone (This figure also includes staff trained who work in the private prisons - HMPs Addiewell and Kilmarnock).

The valuation of all non-domestic property is a matter for independent assessors, and the Scottish Government has no locus to interfere in that independent process. We have no current plans to alter the specific treatment of ATMs in the non-domestic rates system.

The Scottish Government provides the most generous non-domestic rates regime in the UK, and in 2021-22 delivered an unprecedented reduction in the poundage mid-revaluation; returning it to pre-COVID levels, which saves Scottish Businesses over £120 million compared with a standard inflationary increase.

We already deliver a number of non-domestic rates measures that support ATM sites and the buildings they are located in, such as shops. This includes up to 100% Small Business Bonus Scheme relief, which is the most generous such relief in the UK. ATM sites in rural areas are exempt from rating in Scotland, and therefore are not liable for non-domestic rates.

Under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, each local Council has wide-raging powers to create rates reliefs to reflect local needs. This may apply to a sole business, sector or area. The relief may be an adaptation of an existing national relief scheme or a unique standalone scheme.

The Scottish Government provides the most generous and comprehensive non-domestic rates relief package for renewable energy producers in the UK, including a number of existing policies aimed at incentivising investment in low carbon technologies, such as heat networks and renewable electricity generation. As part of this package we deliver a non-domestic rates exemption for renewables with a capacity of up to 50kW, which supports microgeneration producers, and businesses that retrofit micro renewable schemes to reduce their carbon foot print. This exemption is not time-limited, unlike other parts of the UK, making it the most generous exemption for renewable microgeneration in the UK.

All our non-domestic rates policies are kept under review. Decisions on any non-domestic rates policies will be set out in the Scottish budget alongside other government priorities in light of affordability.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35206 on 23 February 2021. Scottish Government officials engage regularly with representatives of the other UK administrations to understand their intentions regarding the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).

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 .