Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 23 February 2022
With this Scottish statutory instrument, which sets a new launch date for the deposit return scheme, the Scottish National Party and the Greens are asking industry to risk their reputations. The secrecy and uncertainty around deposit return mean that no one can take the Scottish Government seriously.
The latest delay was announced back in December but, prior to that, Circularity Scotland may have released tender documents indicating a 2023 launch. The Scottish Government has not denied that the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity was aware of such documents, and I believe that the Parliament and the public have a right to know whether the minister was aware of a possible 2023 launch date a month or more before announcing it. Did the minister mislead the Parliament?
There must be transparency and trust for deposit return to work. The Government needs to provide answers. Why is the SNP-Green Government going for an old-fashioned 1990s-style system, with reverse vending machines, instead of a modern 21st century fully digital scheme?