- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 March 2014
To ask the Scottish Government what alternative funding sources it is investigating for the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland in the event that funding from the energy company obligation declines.
Answer
The Scottish Government is currently working closely with local authorities, obligated energy companies and other delivery partners to assess the impact of the changes to the energy company obligation (ECO) on the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland (HEEPS).
There is a fixed budget within Government and we are unable to compensate for the decline in ECO caused by Westminster policy changes. However, we will attempt to meet the challenge by exploring all possible routes of funding including Green Deal, Scottish Government funding streams for community renewables, European funding and other relevant public and private sources of finance.
Longer term, we have set out our commitment in Scotland’s Future about what we would do in an independent Scotland. We plan to remove certain obligations from energy bills and maintain current funding levels from central resources.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 March 2014
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its response to the consultation, European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020 Programmes, and whether it plans to use the funds to support home energy efficiency and domestic microrenewables schemes.
Answer
The recent consultation generated 80 responses and the final report will be published by 14 March 2014. There is currently considerable support for domestic energy efficiency within Scotland, and the structural funds must not duplicate that provision, and either fill gaps or create enhanced support. The provision of home energy efficiency has therefore not been considered the highest priority for the use of the funds. In terms of wider energy support, the 2014-20 programmes will focus primarily on supporting energy initiatives in the non-domestic sector to support SME growth, innovation and the development of the low carbon economy. In addition, an intervention aiming to support active community partnership models and projects is under consideration; this could create opportunities for domestic energy and micro-renewable schemes at a community level.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 March 2014
To ask the Scottish Government how many households have received support under the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland area based schemes initiative, broken down by (a) local authority area and (b) type of support.
Answer
We do not hold information on the number of households which have received support under the area based element of the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland. We are working with local authorities and other delivery agents to gather this data.
Councils have until September 2014 to install measures funded from the 2013-14 area based schemes programme. Final information on delivery through the area based schemes will therefore not be available until after this date.
However, our area based schemes are designed to work alongside the energy company obligation and, based on quarterly information provided by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, we know that around 32,000 energy efficiency measures have been installed in Scottish households between January and September 2013.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 March 2014
To ask the Scottish Government how many households have had energy efficiency measures installed under the energy assistance scheme, broken down by type of measure.
Answer
The following table shows the number of households whose installations have been completed (i.e. passed inspection) and for which the Scottish Government has been invoiced for both the Energy Assistance Scheme and stage 4 of the Energy Assistance Package in the period April to December 2013. The Scottish Government will publish data for the full 2013-14 financial year in due course.
Installation type | Energy Assistance Scheme | Energy Assistance Package (Stage 4) | Total |
Central Heating Systems | 1697 | 3649 | 5346 |
Of which: | | | |
Gas | 1591 | 2897 | 4488 |
Electric Dry | 51 | 398 | 449 |
Oil | 33 | 203 | 236 |
LPG | 18 | 81 | 99 |
Solid Fuel | 4 | 37 | 41 |
Air Source Heat Pump | 0 | 25 | 25 |
Electric Wet | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| | | |
Insulation only (including mobile home insulation) | 68 | 225 | 293 |
TOTAL | 1765 | 3874 | 5639 |
Installations completed under stage 4 of the Energy Assistance Package relate to applications made prior to 1 April 2014.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 10 March 2014
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making on delivering the recommendations in A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland: 2013 Update.
Answer
Building standards officials are in the process of investigating the fifteen additional recommendations made in the 2013 update of the original 2007 Sullivan Report.
In announcing deferment of the next set of energy standards in building regulations until October 2015, I have already acted upon the first recommendation made by the panel under the ‘Eventual and Staged Standards’ topic.
At this time, the focus of officials and the construction industry has turned to the development of an ‘action plan’ in support of the 2015 standards, referred to in the fifth recommendation under the ‘Eventual and Staged Standards’ topic.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 March 2014
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland support the needs of rural and off-grid households.
Answer
Scottish Government funding for area based fuel poverty schemes is distributed across all councils in Scotland. £42 million of the £60 million available is allocated on the basis of need which takes into account levels of fuel poverty and reflects the different types of properties within rural areas. This ensures that funding is directed to those areas most in need of assistance, including our rural areas.
This year’s funding will support delivery in off-gas grid areas by providing specific funding to be used to deliver heating and insulation improvements for low-income and vulnerable households who meet the affordable warmth eligibility criteria in off-gas grid properties.
We are also considering how we can use our funding programmes to best meet the needs of off-gas grid households.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 March 2014
To ask the Scottish Government whether additional funding will be made available for the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland in the event that funding from the energy company obligation declines.
Answer
The Scottish Government is currently working closely with local authorities, obligated energy companies and other delivery partners to assess the impact of the changes to the energy company obligation (ECO) on the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland (HEEPS).
We will continue to use our HEEPS funding to maximise leverage under ECO and have relaxed the criteria for accessing Scottish Government funding to ensure support for those in fuel poverty continues.
Longer term, we have set out our commitment in Scotland’s Future about what we would do in an independent Scotland. We plan to remove certain obligations from energy bills and maintain current funding levels from central resources.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Burgess on 10 March 2014
To ask the Scottish Government how it has engaged with stakeholders in Scotland to assess the impact of changes to the energy company obligation.
Answer
We have regular meetings with a range of stakeholders to discuss the energy company obligation (ECO) and to work closely with delivery partners on the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland. Stakeholders with whom we engage regularly include, amongst others: local authorities, registered social landlords, the National Insulation Association, energy companies, the Fuel Poverty Forum and its energy company obligation (ECO) sub-group. We also keep stakeholders up to date on ECO activity through our regular Scottish Government ECO newsletter and we encourage stakeholders to join the newsletter’s mailing list.
These contacts will inform our response to the UK Government’s consultation on their proposed changes to the ECO.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2014
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 March 2014
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of the likely impact of changes to the energy company obligation on its ability to (a) tackle fuel poverty and (b) meet the emissions targets set out in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.
Answer
On fuel poverty: the UK Government’s proposed changes to the energy company obligation (ECO) will have implications for the delivery of our Home Energy Efficiency Programme (HEEPS). We are working closely with delivery partners to better understand their likely impact. We will continue to use our HEEPS funding to maximise leverage under ECO and have relaxed the criteria for accessing Scottish Government funding to ensure support for those in fuel poverty continues.
On emissions targets set out in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009: we expect the policy framework we have developed, as set out in the second Report on Proposals and Policies will allow us to meet our targets. Its flexibility allows us to deliver more where we can and we will continue to seek additional ways in which we can maximise the impact of the investments we make. Scottish households have received a greater than pro-rata share of the measures delivered under ECO.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2014
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 26 February 2014
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Coping with the cuts? Local government and poorer communities.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 26 February 2014