Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee 27 May 2025
I am happy to take that one.
First of all, we can look at the consultation issue in a few ways. We consulted on the principle and design of Scotland’s DRS in depth before laying the original regulations, and these amendment regulations still leave the scheme as a whole substantially unchanged. The regulations do make substantive changes, but fundamentally, the scheme is doing the same thing and achieving the same outcomes. Indeed, many of the changes that the cabinet secretary has outlined are operational ones instead of necessarily getting at what the scheme fundamentally does. That consultation has already been carried out and published.
As has been outlined, the key change relates to glass. We consulted on whether to include glass in the scheme; as you will know, the Scottish Parliament previously reached a different conclusion, which was to include glass. The question of glass has been the subject of very considerable feedback from business, NGOs and the public; indeed, it has probably been the main point on which we have engaged with businesses over the past five years or so, and it is also something that the UK Government consulted on as part of its consultation. It reached a different conclusion, which was that glass would not be in its scheme. As the cabinet secretary has said, given the requirement to align with the UK Government, we have taken the decision to take glass out through these amendment regulations.