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Scottish Government officials have been engaging, and continue to engage, closely with a range of businesses to reach an implementation timetable for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) that is both ambitious and deliverable.

The Scottish Government is working intensively to develop and agree a plan to deliver the scheme that the Scottish Government, the industry and stakeholders can have confidence in. As my statement set out once a timeline is agreed, clear milestones for delivery by Circularity Scotland will be published. However it must be noted that consistent with other producer responsibility schemes, the responsibility for practical implementation of DRS resides with individual retailers and producers, not the Scottish Government.

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 .

Programme For Government includes a commitment to develop a model for Scotland which effectively tackles and challenges men’s demand for prostitution.

This model will aim to reduce stigma and criminalisation experienced by women and encourage better access to services. Ensuring that women are supported and that services are responsive to their needs is central to this work. We have also committed to engaging with those with direct or lived experience to shape services, and design measures which will protect them from harm and provide service users the support they need.

There are several considerations which must be made in designing the model, including ensuring it’s alignment to the Equally Safe Strategy and our unique legal landscape in Scotland. The model must operate effectively not only to hold those who buy sex to account, but to deter them from purchasing sex. Any changes proposed to the current criminal law would require legislation.

The criminal law is only one aspect of the model and it is vital that a package of measures is developed in parallel to underpin any changes which are brought forward.

We will continue to work across government and with stakeholders as our work on Scotland’s future approach to prostitution progresses. A Short Life Working Group with key stakeholders considering the fundamental principles to underpin a model for Scotland will hold its initial meeting, later this month.

Since 2014 the Scottish Ambulance Service has delivered a comprehensive 4 day training course, developed in-house, to provide the required training for Community First Responders - delivering a more detailed and comprehensive training package than the basic 2 day FPOS scheme.

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 Scottish Ambulance Service determine which resource and assistance to call upon depending on the circumstances faced and the need that has arisen.

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.

The Scottish Government notes that paragraph 1(b) of response VII/8s published by the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee (ACCC) endorses the findings of the ACCC's response VI/8k that progress has been made by Scotland. However, the ACCC considers that more needs to be done in respect of the requirements set out in paragraph 2(a), (b), and (d) of VII/8s. We are considering what action to take in respect of this and, as requested by the ACCC, will be submitting a plan of action, including a time schedule, by 1 July 2022.

As stated in the Programme for Government in September 2021, we will be introducing a Legal Aid Reform Bill in this Parliament and consulting on a Human Rights Bill in this Parliamentary year. In addition, in the next few weeks, we will be consulting on court fees for the years 2022 to 2025. In drafting these consultations and this legislation, we will give serious consideration as to how we can improve access to environmental justice.

The ACCC indicated that it had concerns about the operation of the system of protective expenses orders (PEOs). PEOs are the responsibility of the Scottish Civil Justice Council (SCJC) and the Scottish Government will raise the matter with SCJC.

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.