Chamber and committees

The roll-out of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in Scotland has commenced with the £3.3m Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Support Scheme, for public bodies, which we ran in conjunction with local authorities in 2010-11. This scheme delivered over 150 low carbon vehicles to Scotland and 80 electric charging points. We are currently working with local authorities to identify further installations to expand the network. These will include those delivered through the UK Government’s Plugged in Places scheme which is worth a total of £3.1m to Scotland over 2011-12 - 2012-13, including £1.45m of match funding from the UK Government.

The following table shows Scottish Government budget allocations for low-carbon, active and sustainable travel:

Total Funding for Low-Carbon, Active and Sustainable Travel

Decisions on funding for 2012-13 will be subject to the Spending Review which is currently under way.

The implementation is being taken forward as set out in Obesity Route Map published in 2010. The Action Plan published in 2011 sets out more detail on the individual actions being taken forward and timeframes for these.

The actions set out in the Route Map are not predicated on additional resources. Rather it is intended to underpin national and local government decision making on the effective allocation of existing and future resources to the prevention of obesity, both nationally and locally. That may require a level of re-prioritisation of investment to support both the short and medium term across the areas of action set out in the Route Map. However, it was estimated in the Obesity Route Map that up to
£200 million between 2008-11 was allocated by the Scottish Government for actions either directly or indirectly tackling obesity.

We do not hold annual estimates for low-carbon economy job creation.

I refer the member to the answer to the question S3W-39781 on 24 February 2011 for our estimate for 2014-15. 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/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx.

In answering this question, we have assumed that it applies to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) in Scotland. There is only one LGPS in Scotland, though it is underpinned by eleven separate pension funds.

The Scottish Executive has not made any estimate of the number of people who might leave the LGPS if employee contributions were raised in line with the proposals of the UK Government although we acknowledge there is a risk that individuals may decide to take this course of action.

Scotland has a massive renewable energy opportunity that will deliver jobs across Scotland. The Scottish Government has set a target to meet an equivalent of 100% of Scotland’s electricity demand from renewables by 2020. We have an interim target to meet 31% of electricity demand from renewables by the end of 2011 and we are well on target to exceed that. We have no plans for further interim targets.

In answering this question, the Scottish Government has assumed that it refers to the Local Government Pension Scheme. There is only one Local Government Pension Scheme in Scotland, though it is underpinned by eleven separate funds. Membership totals, based on the most recent figures reported by local authorities to the Scottish Government¹, are set out in the following table.

The report Low Carbon Scotland: Meeting the Emissions Reductions Targets 2010-2022 – The Report on Proposals and Policies, highlights that most of the cost-effective potential in this sector comes through energy efficiency measures. However renewable heat and the efficient use of “waste heat” will be important in securing additional emissions reductions.

Poyry identified the UK potential for district heating in a 2009 report The Potential and Costs of District Heating Networks. It estimates the potential annual savings achieved for a composite benchmark dwelling from a range of technologies. For example, they calculate that a district heating network covering 250,000 households may save between 0.25 Mt CO2 and 1.25 Mt CO2 relative to conventional heating systems annually, dependent on the fuel used and the carbon intensity of centralised electricity production.

In the coming months we will establish an Expert Commission on the Delivery of District Heating to advise on the steps we need to take to ensure a major move to district heating. A key task of the Commission will be to the most appropriate financial mechanism, including seeking advice from the Scottish Futures Trust. In the meantime, we are providing support for district heating through a district heating loan fund which opened for applications on 24 June 2011.

Skills Development Scotland has completed the contracting process for Modern Apprenticeships in 2011-12. This includes the 500 targeted at the energy and low carbon industry.

Recruitment of Modern Apprentices by employers will take place throughout the financial year. As such, Skills Development Scotland will be able to provide you with details regarding the full 500 apprentices in this sector at the end of the financial year.

SDS publishes quarterly statistics regarding uptake of apprentices on their website. With regard to average duration of training, the speed of delivery is at the pace of the individual trainee and varies depending on the particular Modern Apprenticeship Framework and level.