Chamber and committees

The detail and timescales for the new data collection will be determined following the completion of the work of the joint working group referred to in my replies to question S3W-20924 and the related answers to questions S3W-26591, S3W-26592 and S3W-26593 on 10 September 2009. The group met for the first time in December 2009 and it is envisaged that it will meet between three and four more times before completing its remit. Papers for the working group and minutes of the working group meetings will be published on the Scottish Government website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/SurveySupportingPeople.

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.

We do not have separate funding streams for insulation and central heating. The Managing Agent sub-contracts the delivery of the appropriate measures for each household, which often comprises a package of measures such as a heating system, insulation, and draughtproofing. The managing agent bills Scottish Government for the package of measures delivered to each household.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30463 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.

Figures are presented related to financial years, in this case the year is 2009-10.

Five thousand, one hundred and thirty-eight heating system measures were installed between April and end November 2009. All were funded from the same budget. Some were applications transferred from the central heating programme because, as is always the case, it is not possible to complete all work applied for within the same financial year.

In order to avoid confusion, the figures are being presented where possible in terms of the fuel poverty programme budget, without disaggregating the measures by the source of the application, but where possible giving a break-down by local authority.

The Energy Assistance Package does much more than heating systems because it takes an holistic approach to fuel poverty. For instance, benefit checks that increase the household budget have an important impact on fuel poverty. By the end of November, Scottish Government had:

completed heating system upgrades or installations for 5,138 households;

installed insulation in a further 3,259 households;

given ï energy savings advice in 32,550 instances;

increased the income of over 553 older households by £921 a year on average, and

identified an average potential increase to annual income of £2,311 for 148 families who had a benefit check.

Of the 5,138 heating system measures delivered between April and end November 2009, 3,863 included mains gas boilers; 1,017 included electric storage heating systems, 186 included oil boilers; 29 included liquid petroleum gas (LPG) boilers; 22 included solid fuel boilers, two were connected to a district heating scheme, and one had an air source heat pump. Eighteen were repairs to central heating systems.

We are currently in the process of developing the new practical guide to social housing allocations and gathering practice examples for inclusion in the guide. We anticipate publishing the guide for consultation in spring this year.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30392 on 13 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.

The funding available to local authorities between 2005-06 and 2009-10 for running costs for care and repair services is set out in the following table, rounded to the nearest thousand pounds.

In financial years 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08, funding for care and repair was separately identified and ring fenced. Local authorities were allowed to add to these allocations from Private Sector Housing Grant (PSHG) to fund services.

From 2008-09, the ring fencing was removed and an equivalent amount added to PSHG, split between local authorities on a pro rata basis, in line with PSHG allocations. This included a specific condition of grant to maintain care and repair services.

Local Authority	Ring-fenced Allocation			Non-Ring-fenced Allocation		Total
	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10
	£m	£m	£m	£m	£m	£m
Scotland	2.335	3.527	2.447	2.335	2.335	12.980
Aberdeen City	0.083	0.166	0.000	0.097	0.097	0.442
Aberdeenshire	0.105	0.105	0.105	0.042	0.046	0.403
Angus	0.088	0.176	0.029	0.036	0.037	0.366
Argyll and Bute	0.110	0.136	0.099	0.110	0.106	0.561
Clackmannanshire	0.057	0.102	0.061	0.019	0.018	0.257
Dumfries and Galloway	0.125	0.125	0.125	0.076	0.075	0.526
Dundee City	0.000	0.000	0.032	0.076	0.075	0.183
East Ayrshire	0.043	0.086	0.050	0.033	0.034	0.246
East Dunbartonshire	0.048	0.096	0.048	0.027	0.029	0.248
East Lothian	0.093	0.093	0.182	0.047	0.046	0.461
East Renfrewshire	0.030	0.030	0.120	0.019	0.021	0.220
Edinburgh, City of	0.128	0.128	0.128	0.243	0.249	0.875
Eilean Siar	0.147	0.147	0.147	0.115	0.109	0.666
Falkirk	0.000	0.000	0.050	0.035	0.035	0.120
Fife	0.081	0.081	0.096	0.049	0.056	0.364
Glasgow City	0.134	0.269	0.000	0.370	0.368	1.140
Highland	0.226	0.453	0.150	0.151	0.147	1.127
Inverclyde	0.064	0.064	0.137	0.042	0.041	0.348
Midlothian	0.000	0.000	0.025	0.018	0.018	0.061
Moray	0.027	0.027	0.027	0.044	0.043	0.167
North Ayrshire	0.096	0.191	0.020	0.042	0.042	0.392
North Lanarkshire	0.126	0.229	0.126	0.089	0.091	0.661
Orkney Islands	0.051	0.052	0.051	0.039	0.037	0.231
Perth and Kinross	0.099	0.198	0.039	0.061	0.061	0.458
Renfrewshire	0.038	0.052	0.034	0.059	0.061	0.244
Scottish Borders	0.033	0.067	0.000	0.044	0.043	0.188
Shetland Islands	0.000	0.000	0.050	0.034	0.032	0.116
South Ayrshire	0.055	0.110	0.055	0.040	0.041	0.302
South Lanarkshire	0.183	0.218	0.283	0.166	0.165	1.015
Stirling	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.041	0.039	0.080
West Dunbartonshire	0.000	0.000	0.114	0.028	0.028	0.170
West Lothian	0.064	0.127	0.064	0.042	0.042	0.339

 

There is no fixed timescale for the implementation of recommendations from the review. Additional funding from the Scottish Government to support the national co-ordinating body in the changeover and implementation of review findings is available for a period of two years.

The national co-ordinating body will be responsible for devising a suitable work plan to take forward the recommendations.

The success of the national co-ordinating body will be reviewed when that period is over, and the implementation of the Review of Care and Repair Projects is likely to be fundamental to this broader review.

The Scottish Government published Reviewing Care and Repair in Scotland 2009: Report of the findings of the review of Care and Repair on 17 August 2009. The review identified the development of a national policy statement as an important role for the national co-ordinating body.

Local authorities are responsible for developing schemes of assistance under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006. The Scottish Government underlined the role of care and repair services in statutory guidance issued to support the implementation of that act. The national co-ordinating body will wish to consider how best to continue to promote the contribution of care and repair services to schemes of assistance.

It will also take a lead role in identifying and agreeing core services that all care and repair agencies should provide, and how these can be made available to users. The issue of a care and repair brand is linked to that of core services, and so the care and repair review also recommends that the national co-ordinating body act as steward of the brand on behalf of ministers.