Meeting of the Parliament 28 May 2014
I will respond to the Conservatives’ objection to what I believe will be one of Parliament’s most progressive environmental policies. I am disappointed by Alex Fergusson’s stance but not surprised that the Conservatives have chosen to try to block a good environmental measure.
As I told the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee last Wednesday, Scotland uses about 750 million single-use carrier bags a year—every year—from supermarkets alone, which is more per head than anywhere else on these islands. The committee agreed with me by a margin of eight to one that it is time to take action to reduce the number of those bags that are given out.
That is part of our wider work to tackle Scotland’s litter problem. Carrier bags are a highly visible and damaging part of that problem in our communities, by our roadsides and particularly in our seas.
Placing a value on bags challenges the throwaway society. We want to promote the reuse of bags and other items in our society, to help get the most out of our increasingly limited resources and to cut carbon emissions.
The regulations are designed to offer a proportionate response. We have been careful to ensure that the administration will be as light touch as possible, particularly for small businesses.
The regulations will impose a requirement to charge, not a tax. Shoppers will be able to avoid the charge by bringing their own bags to the shops.
It is clear that there is support for the measure from many retailers, their customers and environmental organisations. Last year’s consultation received a strong response in favour of the charge and we have had constructive dialogue with all stakeholders during the process. I believe that the public support the measure. An opinion poll from Keep Scotland Beautiful just last week indicated strong public support—of those questioned, the number in favour of the charge was almost two to one.
Charges that are similar to our proposal are working well in Wales and Northern Ireland. Even the United Kingdom Government is set to introduce a charge in England. The Scottish Government’s proposals are coherent and thorough. Mr Fergusson and his colleagues would have us make our proposals less coherent and less thorough, rather like what the UK Government is doing.
The proposals from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to exempt paper and biodegradable bags have been roundly criticised by the Westminster Environmental Audit Committee, in contrast to the Welsh scheme, which is in line with our proposals. That committee said:
“Exemptions for small retailers and paper and biodegradable bags make it confusing for consumers, potentially harmful for the recycling industry, and less effective than the Welsh scheme, where bag use has been reduced by over 75% with a straightforward 5p charge on all disposable carrier bags.”
It is time for Scotland to take action on the issue. I urge members to back the regulations.