- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 25 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households have had insulation measures installed that were (a) fully and (b) partly paid for under the Home Insulation Scheme in 2009-10.
Answer
The breakdown is as follows :
(a) 10,581 households had at least one insulation measure installed that was fully paid for under the Home Insulation Scheme (HIS).
(b) 3,020 households had at least one insulation measure installed that was partly paid for under HIS.
These figures are based on delivery as at 5 December 2010, within HIS areas funded from 2009-10 budgets. A household may have had both a partly paid and a fully paid measure installed; if so, the household will be counted in both of the above figures.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 25 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27388 by Alex Neil on 24 September 2009, how much complementary investment was secured for publicity and promotion of the Home Insulation Scheme in 2009-10.
Answer
The £15 million budget for the Home Insulation Scheme was used to support a first phase of activity covering 95,000 houses in 10 local authority areas, together with a second phase of activity covering a further 85,000 houses in additional areas within those 10 local authority districts. Based on information provided by these local authorities, complementary investment of £76,593 was provided by local authorities for publicity and promotion of these schemes. This includes local authorities'' own estimates of the cash value of support that was provided in-kind.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 25 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27371 by Alex Neil on 24 September 2009, whether it achieved its target date for insulating all homes eligible under the Home Insulation Scheme in 2009-10 and, if so, to what minimum standard these homes were insulated and by what date the work was completed.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-38532 on 25 January 2011. 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.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 25 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-27376 and S3W-27375 by Alex Neil on 24 September 2009, what additional external partners were selected to help deliver the Home Insulation Scheme in 2009-10.
Answer
| Home Insulation Scheme Area | Successful Bidder |
| Glasgow/ South Lanarkshire | Solas |
| Edinburgh | EAGA/ Scottish Power |
| Stirling | EAGA/ Scottish Power |
| Fife | EAGA/ Scottish Power |
| Dundee | Miller Pattison |
| Angus | Miller Pattison |
| Highland 1 | Miller Pattison |
| Highland 2 | Miller Pattison |
| Western Isles | Miller Pattison |
| Orkney | Insta Group |
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 25 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27372 by Alex Neil on 24 September 2009, whether it achieved its target date by which it aimed to insulate all hard-to-treat homes eligible under the Home Insulation Scheme in 2009-10 and, if so, to what minimum standard the work was completed.
Answer
The Home Insulation Scheme (HIS) achieved its target of ensuring that all dwellings in the identified areas were visited and free or discounted loft and cavity wall insulation measures and other services, where appropriate, offered to those households which it was possible to contact after three visits.
Our draft report on proposals and policies sets out a series of milestones for Scottish homes. This includes for every home to have loft and cavity wall insulation, which is cost-effective and technically feasible by 2020.
Installers under the HIS are contractually obliged to comply with British and European insulation standards and best practice guidelines.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 20 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what activity will be funded by the additional expenditure shown for the smartcard programme in Table 7.05 of Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2011-12.
Answer
The £9.5 million allocated to the smartcard programme quoted in the draft budget 2011-12 paper will be used to fund the managed services that support the current ITSO interoperable smart systems, ITSO fees and charges, necessary software and hardware upgrades including back office systems development as well as supporting further development of smart and integrated ticketing.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 20 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to further refine the existing on-bus smartcard system and, if so, what the nature of the refinements will be.
Answer
The roll-out of smart enabled electronic ticket machines to the entire Scottish bus fleet has allowed Transport Scotland to introduce processes that enable it to manage the National Concessionary Travel Scheme more efficiently and more effectively. Transport Scotland will continue to review these processes and introduce further improvements as appropriate.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 20 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will be able to provide a Scotland-wide multi-modal smartcard ticket for public transport and, if so, by what date.
Answer
The Scottish Government has provided smart enabled electronic ticket machines to the entire Scottish bus fleet, as part of its administration of the National Concessionary Travel Scheme, and is working with First Scotrail on a trial of similar systems for the rail industry. We will continue to work with transport operators, local authorities and Regional Transport Partnerships to support the creation of a multi-modal smartcard ticket for public transport.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 20 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the creation of a not-for-profit bidder for the ScotRail franchise and what action it has taken to explore the practicality of this.
Answer
All contract models for the future franchise are being fully explored, including not-for-profit models. Discussions with the Scottish Trades Union Congress and its affiliate rail unions have already taken place as part of the preparatory work currently being undertaken to launch a full consultation exercise on the form and content of the next franchise.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 19 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37964 by John Swinney on 15 December 2010, whether it will urge the UK Government to withdraw from the Government Procurement Agreement or to amend it to allow the application of ethical criteria in procurement decisions, for example to implement boycotts against countries that are in breach of international law
Answer
The UK''s membership of the World Trade Organization''s Government Procurement Agreement allows Scottish businesses certain rights to participate in competitive tendering opportunities in those international markets covered by the agreement; withdrawal from the agreement may result in Scottish businesses being denied access to these markets. There are no current plans to urge the UK Government to withdraw from the agreement or to amend it to implement boycotts against other parties to the agreement.