Chamber and committees

Where appropriate, applicants to the Energy Assistance Package are offered a benefits check. By the end of November, 553 older households had been helped by the pension service to increase their annual income, by an average of £921. One hundred and forty eight families have had a benefit check by Citizens Advice Direct, which identified a potential increase to their annual income by an average of £2,311. It is not possible to analyse this by fuel type because the beneficiaries are not identified to the Energy Savings Trust, due to data protection considerations.

Fuel cell gas boilers, which generate electricity as well as heating and hot water, have already been the subject of discussion between officials and Scottish Gas, the managing agent for the Energy Assistance Package.

There are several issues to be addressed before a decision can be made on whether they should be offered as an option under the Energy Assistance Package, including long-term costs in use and whether any types of homes or household would be unsuited to this technology. Fuel cell gas boilers can be operated using both mains gas and liquid petroleum gas and we will investigate whether they could be a cost effective option both on and off the mains gas grid, taking into account the potential savings arising from the electricity generated.

The impact of advice on improving energy efficiency is generally difficult to assess. Where households who use LPG or oil are referred for insulation measures under Stages 3 or 4 of the Energy Assistance Package, the improvement to the SAP rating is recorded which reflects the potential impact of the package of measures delivered.

I refer the member to the question S3W-30067, answered on 14 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

One hundred and forty-two callers who used LPG as their main fuel for heating were referred to stage 4 by the end of November. Of these, 29 had been installed and 76 further jobs were being progressed. Nineteen were rejected as not being eligible; of these 14 were rejected because the applicant was unable to provide satisfactory documentation of eligibility to support the application, two were not in receipt of qualifying benefits, one had stayed for less than one year at the property and two houses were not energy inefficient dwellings. Eighteen applications were cancelled for reasons including the applicant not wanting the upheaval, being no longer interested and moving home. Please note that LPG was not available under the Central Heating Programme, but replacement systems are allowed under the Energy Assistance Package.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-29121 on 1 December 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx. answe

The Scottish Government is currently consulting on options for improving the energy efficiency of housing, including housing in the private rented sector, through its consultation on the Energy Efficiency Action Plan. These include options for setting regulatory requirements for energy efficiency standards in housing, including that in the private rented sector. The deadline for responses to the consultation was 5 January 2010.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-29892, on 7 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

These background papers on the national housing trust proposal were lodged with the Scottish Parliament Information Centre on 9 December 2009. These papers are also now available on the Scottish Government''s website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk .

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-29892 on 7 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.