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PM should not cave in to demands to revoke DRS conditions, says Scotland minister
Rishi Sunak has been urged not to revoke conditions on Scotland’s deposit return scheme (DRS) as it moves closer to potentially being scrapped.
Scotland’s First Minister wrote to Mr Sunak on Saturday, demanding that conditions – one of which would see glass containers removed from the scheme – placed on it by UK ministers as part of an exemption to the Internal Market Act be shelved.
Humza Yousaf gave the PM a deadline of Monday, or risk “grave danger” to the Scottish scheme, later saying he “struggles to see it going ahead” with the conditions imposed.
Asked by the BBC if Mr Sunak should acquiesce, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “No.
“We’ve given the exclusion. There are four conditions in that exclusion which allow the scheme to work across the United Kingdom.”
The exemption was required to allow the scheme to run in the absence of others elsewhere in the UK, with other nations expected to set up their own in the coming years.
The most controversial of the conditions would see glass stripped from the scheme in Scotland, something Mr Jack said is a matter of concern to businesses.
“We believe that makes sense, because that’s what industry have written to us and industry have asked us to do,” he said.
The DRS would ask people to pay a small deposit of 20p when they buy a drink in a single-use container. They then get the deposit back when they return the empty bottle or can.
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