Hansard

I was going to come to that point towards the end of my speech, and I will ensure that it is included in my remarks.

Since February this year, Scottish Water has imposed a complete embargo on any of its sludge and other organic materials being recycled in the Falkirk area. There has also been an increase in auditing of contractors’ activities, including spot checks by Scottish Water, and more monitoring of material stockpiles held by contractors.

In addition, community councils in the area now have direct access to Scottish Water waste managers. I understand that those actions have improved the local situation. It is our intention, through the sludge review, to make sure that that improvement is sustained and built upon, not just in the Falkirk area but elsewhere in Scotland.

Margaret Mitchell mentioned the sewage sludge that comes from other parts of the UK. The review has looked at that and is finding a way to try to deal with that issue.

Serious points have been raised by Angus MacDonald regarding the storage of anaerobic digestate. SEPA has said that it will monitor the situation and assess whether the storage of anaerobic digestate requires further regulatory control. I am glad to hear that Angus MacDonald is meeting SEPA to discuss those concerns.

It is clear from the concerns that have been expressed by the public and reflected in Parliament this afternoon that the outcomes from the sewage sludge review are awaited with great interest. We want to ensure that, where sludge is stored or spread to land, it is done safely and does not cause nuisance or inconvenience to the general public.

We are confident that the sludge review will identify ways to avoid incidents of the kind that we have heard about today, which have been totally and utterly unacceptable. I understand that the review group will shortly submit its conclusions—it will be later this month—for ministers to consider how to proceed.

It is important to stress that we will consult on any proposed actions that may involve changes to legislation or statutory guidance. As part of our better environmental regulation programme, the Scottish Government and SEPA are working jointly to deliver a new environmental enforcement framework for Scotland that includes a range of new proportionate, enforceable measures for SEPA.

I close by reiterating my thanks to Margaret Mitchell and all the other members who have spoken in this afternoon’s debate for bringing such an important issue to the chamber. I thank them for their contributions, which have been extremely helpful in taking the review forward.