Hansard

The Deputy Convener SNP

Item 3 is consideration of two draft statutory instruments. The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee raised points in relation to both instruments. In r...

Gillian Martin SNP

Thank you, convener, for the opportunity to discuss these two instruments, both of which were laid in Parliament on 2 May. The Government has been committed ...

The Deputy Convener SNP

Thank you, cabinet secretary. We move to questions, and I will start us off. What substantive changes have been made to the Deposit and Return Scheme for Sco...

Gillian Martin SNP

I am happy to answer that, convener. I will take you through the substantive changes to the current regulations for Scotland. The first thing, crucially, is ...

The Deputy Convener SNP

Those are quite significant changes. What impact will they have on the outcomes that will be achieved compared with what was proposed under the Scottish DRS,...

Gillian Martin SNP

The most substantive change is the removal of glass. We want recycling rates for glass to accelerate and improve. The Scottish Government, as has been well d...

The Deputy Convener SNP

The changes have quite a substantial impact on the overall benefit of the original deposit return scheme, given the exclusion of glass from the new scheme.

Sarah Boyack Lab

Why have we not had a consultation on these changes? How is the Scottish Government engaging and ensuring that the feedback from key sectors and stakeholders...

Gillian Martin SNP

I will hand over to one of my officials, Haydn Thomas, in a minute, as he has been in the weeds of all this. Obviously, we have been having a great deal of d...

Haydn Thomas (Scottish Government)

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 i...

Gillian Martin SNP

It might also be helpful to outline what is required of the scheme administrator with regard to consulting and working with affected stakeholders. The draft ...

Sarah Boyack Lab

I welcome those answers, because the issue of small producers and retailers is huge and one that I certainly raised in the first instance. You did not clari...

Gillian Martin SNP

We have been engaging with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on this, and indeed did so ahead of signing up to the principles in, I think, April l...

Sarah Boyack Lab

Thanks. I will come back later to ask about some of the changes that have been made.

The Deputy Convener SNP

I call Douglas Lumsden.

Douglas Lumsden Con

Cabinet secretary, I want to look at the regulations for return points, the proposals for which are a bit different from what was proposed before. The regula...

Gillian Martin SNP

The scheme administrator would decide that.

Douglas Lumsden Con

Would there be any appeal against that?

Gillian Martin SNP

Yes. That is one of the changes that have been made. In terms of the associated fees or a review of whether there should be an exemption, there would be grou...

Douglas Lumsden Con

But there would still be an appeal process—it just needs to be ironed out. Is that right?

Gillian Martin SNP

Yes. I think that it is one of the ways in which these regulations strengthen things: vendors can ask for a review of decisions that the scheme administrator...

Ailsa Heine (Scottish Government)

I just wanted to clarify that there is a right of review to the scheme administrator for these decisions. It is set out in the designation order.

Douglas Lumsden Con

But the matter will still go to the scheme administrator.

Ailsa Heine

Yes.

Douglas Lumsden Con

Okay. Cabinet secretary, how do the regulations ensure that there is a good distribution of return points, especially in rural areas and on the islands?

Gillian Martin SNP

That is a good point, and it is something that the scheme administrator will take into account. You have rightly pointed to rural areas, where there might be...

Douglas Lumsden Con

So, will people get money back or, as you just mentioned, a voucher?

Gillian Martin SNP

The scheme administrator will bottom all that out. That is for it to decide.

Douglas Lumsden Con

We do not know that yet.

Gillian Martin SNP

No, it will be for the scheme administrator to decide.