To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported public safety and environmental concerns arising from the fire at Linwood industrial estate on 23 June. (S6T-02058)

I thank the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews, along with all our emergency services, for their sterling efforts in tackling the large and complex fire that broke out at the Enva recycling facility on Sunday. At its height, 10 appliances and 50 firefighters were at the scene. Thankfully, there were no casualties and, as of this morning, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed that one fire appliance and one height appliance remain in attendance, with firefighters working to eliminate any remaining hot spots and dampen down.

As a precaution, early yesterday morning local residents were advised to remain indoors with windows and doors shut. That advice was lifted later yesterday morning. As part of a multi-agency response, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is actively engaged in the situation and is working closely with public sector partners, including Public Health Scotland and Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board, to mitigate any potential impact on the surrounding community and environment.

I am pleased to say that there is no on-going risk to public safety and that the cause of the fire will be the subject of an immediate and thorough investigation, as would normally happen.

I thank the minister for that answer, and I join her in extending my thanks to the 55 firefighters who attended for their bravery and professionalism in tackling the fire, and to the police, SEPA and council officials who have also responded. The scale of the fire at the waste recycling plant was significant—it could be seen for many miles across Renfrewshire, Glasgow and beyond.

There has also been significant concern about the fire’s environmental impact. As the minister mentioned, local residents were urged to close windows and doors to avoid toxic smoke. Debris and ash have been reported landing on people’s properties many miles away. What advice has been or will be given on what people should do if they have battery debris or any other debris from the fire, for example, in their gardens or on their cars?

SEPA has confirmed that there were no compliance issues around the site that it was aware of. The site was deemed to be low risk, with no impact on amenity, and it is well managed. It deals only with waste electrical and electronic equipment.

Any constituents in the area who have any residue from the fire in their gardens should contact the local authority. I know that SEPA has a working group, and it will be liaising with the local authority and the SFRS.

I hope that the authorities will make that advice publicly available rather than just asking constituents to seek it. That would be helpful.

The recycling of electric batteries is only going to become more prevalent, and given that there was another fire at the industrial estate in 2022, will the minister work with the industry to ask the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and SEPA to publish a full report not just on what happened, but on what the risks were, what they could be in the future and what mitigations can be put in place in order to maintain public confidence in the future?

I think that we will have to wait for the thorough investigation to be concluded before we make any commitments in that regard. For the member’s information, he might like to know that, along with other United Kingdom nations, the Scottish Government is reviewing the UK-wide batteries regulation, which applies to placing batteries on the market and to waste battery issues, including recycling.

We are considering the changes that are needed to provide an appropriate framework for the increasing number of electric vehicle batteries that are arising as waste and how they can best be managed in the UK market. That will include looking at opportunities for better regulation.

If we have concise questions and responses, I can take a few more questions from members.

I, too, thank the emergency services for their response.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has presented to the cross-party group on accident prevention and safety awareness on so-called zombie batteries. Although investigations are on-going on this particular situation, I note that lithium-ion batteries must be appropriately disposed of and contained as they are recycled. Consumer action is vital in that respect. What action can the Scottish Government take to raise consumer awareness of the safe and appropriate disposal of rechargeable batteries, in particular in goods such as vapes, toothbrushes and USB-charged devices?

Clare Adamson might be aware that the SFRS has in place a bespoke working group that focuses on the risks of lithium-ion batteries. Its findings will bolster our community safety messaging. The working group has been expanded to include a number of stakeholders and to assist in a number of workstreams, including the planning and consultation process for battery energy storage systems, which I hope will raise awareness of the issue among the public.

I, too, thank the fire service for its efforts. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Although the exact cause of the fire has yet to be established, we must recognise that waste facilities, especially battery recycling facilities, are at risk of incidents. That is why I have repeatedly raised safety concerns, such as those around the handling of lithium-ion batteries and gas canisters. Back in 2022, the Scottish Government told me that discussions were on-going with the waste sector. Will the minister tell us what action has been taken since then?

As I have said previously, there is a bespoke working group, and the UK Government is currently reviewing the UK-wide batteries regulation. The Scottish Government is clear that battery energy storage is an essential component of the decarbonised electricity grid, and that we need bold action to tackle the climate emergency. Scotland has extensive renewable generation capabilities with which to accelerate our just transition to net zero.

The scenes that we saw were absolutely horrific, and I pay tribute to the emergency services. We never want to see such scenes again, but we have seen such fires repeatedly across Scotland, particularly at Friarton in Perth, where one incident led to a tragic loss of life.

Does the minister agree that those who manufacture and sell disposable electronic devices need to take more producer responsibility for their products, including through take-back schemes in which they can invest in proper health and safety requirements that will keep them safe and enable those products to be recycled?

I share Mark Ruskell’s concerns. Since 2023, there have been 1,200 fires across the UK, which is an increase of 71 per cent from 2022; we have had four such fires in Scotland. I am in agreement with Mark Ruskell.

I join colleagues in offering thanks to all the emergency services that attended the fire. As we have heard, the plume of smoke could be seen from some miles away, and it drifted several miles northwards. Concern was raised with me locally that it took several hours for the public health information that people should close their windows and stay indoors to be forthcoming, and there was a sense of fear and alarm in the surrounding area. What learning will be done with civil contingency partners to understand how events unfolded that evening? How will the minister ensure that local residents are kept informed of the investigations?

As I said to Paul O’Kane’s colleague Neil Bibby earlier, we will ensure that there is consultation and that information is put out in the public domain. Lessons can be learned. A working group was set up immediately with SEPA, the local health service and the SFRS, and we will continue to engage and let the community know what is happening.