Chamber and committees

I can confirm that the £120 million announced on 25 June 2012 for broadband improvements in the Highlands and Islands includes the £10 million previously committed to the region.

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

WRITTEN ANSWER

29 June 2012

Index Heading: Governance and Communities

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive how rural off-gas grid householders will qualify for the proposed national retrofit programme.

(S4W-08037)

Alex Neil: The National Retrofit Programme, which I announced in my statement to the Parliament on 6 June, will aim to offer a range of free or discounted heating and home insulation measures to people across Scotland who struggle with fuel poverty. The programme is to begin operation in the next financial year.

In line with recommendations from the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum the programme will aim to adopt an area based approach that prioritises fuel poverty and other deprivation factors with a central role for local authorities in its delivery. I expect that rural and off gas areas will feature in this approach. Support and measures provided will be tailored to home and household needs, based on a thorough assessment.

Rural off-gas grid householders may also benefit from two funds being launched later this year. The Warm Homes Fund will be targeted to fuel-poor communities and will support renewable energy projects aimed at reducing their household bills. Rural householders in areas not currently connected to the gas grid, but located close to it, may also be able to access additional support (in the form of loan funding) from our Gas Infill Fund, to help with the cost of connection.

In addition, the Microgeneration Strategy published last week sets out actions to increase the level of microgeneration in Scotland including a £5 million boost for renewable heat at a householder level via the Homes Renewables Loans Scheme.

<>The Scottish Government’s Rural Payments and Inspections Division has responsibility for 58 Crofting Estates and four lowground holdings. A detailed breakdown can be found on the Scottish Government website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/farmingrural/Rural/rural-land/land-management.

<>A map showing the locations of Scottish ministers’ crofting and other agricultural estates, along with those of other SEARS partners, is available on the Scottish Government website at www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/259920/0082987.pdf.

The estimated net cost of administering the Scottish ministers’ crofting and agricultural estates is £143,000 per annum.

Most of the estates or holdings were acquired between 1900 and 1939 for lease to smallholders and crofters for land settlement purposes. The acquisition of land took place under the Congested Districts (Scotland) Act 1897, the Small Landholders (Scotland) Acts 1886 and 1931, the Land Settlement (Scotland) Acts 1919 to 1934 and the Agriculture (Scotland) Act 1948.

The above legislation conferred power on the Board of Agriculture (a forerunner to the Agriculture, Food and Rural Communities Directorate) to acquire land by agreement, purchase, lease, gift and compulsory purchase for occupation and settlement by crofters, cottars, fishermen and returning ex-servicemen. The main aim was to provide, equip and adapt land under favourable conditions and in less-congested districts of Scotland at that time.

These powers still exist, but Scottish ministers’ policy has been to sell and not purchase for some time.

The majority of estates were purchased by the Board of Agriculture and a purchase price was paid. Records of the purchase price are held by the Scottish Government’s Estates Management team.

This is a UK Government policy. Relevant information may be found on the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s website. Of particular interest may be a document titled: Carbon Saving Community Obligation: Rural and Low Income Areas. Further information may be found in the The Electricity and Gas (Energy Company Obligation) Order 2012 available at:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2012/9780111525456/contents or sought directly from DECC.

I launched the Microgeneration Strategy for Scotland on 22 June 2012 in Inverness. It sets out the Scottish Government’s support for microgeneration, our ambitions for the sector and the successes and key actions we have taken to date across a range of policies: planning, building regulation, skills, housing and fuel poverty. The Strategy also showcases what has been achieved by national and local government, industry, communities, householders, the skills sector and other stakeholders across Scotland to grow the market for microgeneration.

Alongside the Strategy, I also announced a £5 million boost to our Home Renewables Loans scheme to help householders install new green heating systems in their homes. From August 2012, loans of up to £10,000 will be available to householders to install renewable heat technology such as biomass boilers and heat pumps in their own homes.

<>The UK Government Department of Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC) consultation on the Energy Company Obligation closed in January this year. Scottish Ministers responded. DECC have recently published their response. This and other DECC publications relating to the Energy Company Obligation and Green Deal are available at: www.decc.gov.uk.

The last full meeting of the Council of Economic Advisers was on 20 January 2012. There was also a special session of the council, which was attended by four council members, on 18 February 2012.

The next meeting of the Council of Economic Advisers is scheduled for 7 September 2012.