Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-25607

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) owner-occupied and (b) private-rented domestic properties have achieved an increase in their Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating as a result of intervention by (i) area-based energy-efficiency schemes, (ii) Energy Efficiency Scotland pilots, (iii) Warmer Homes Scotland and (iv) the Home Energy Scotland Loan Scheme, also broken down by the EPC band level achieved.

Area based schemes

Details of the total number of energy efficiency measures delivered through Area Based Schemes are published on the Scottish Government website .These are provided for each local authority by year of delivery. We do not currently collect or collate information from councils about pre and post EPC ratings.

Energy Efficient Scotland (EES) Pilots

The transition phase of EES pilots is currently underway and due for completion in March 2020. Evaluation of these projects will be carried out by the University of Edinburgh, with publication planned for spring 2020. This phase aims to help over 1,600 homes install energy efficient measures with a focus on supporting the self-funded market.

Warmer Homes Scotland

The total number of completed properties that achieved a SAP increase in the EPC rating as a result of intervention by Warmer Homes Scotland up to the end of March 2019 was 13,743. This represents a total of 89% of all completed properties.

Post SAP Band	15-16 Budget Year	16-17 Budget Year	17-18 Budget Year	18-19 Budget Year	Grand Total
Owner-occupied	1,081	3,816	3,550	3,477	11,924
B	1	6	13	14	34
C	328	1415	1275	1322	4,340
D	532	1642	1585	1525	5,284
E	166	506	466	464	1,602
F	44	208	175	134	561
G	10	39	36	18	103
Rented (private)	191	839	666	123	1,819
A			1		1
B		2	4		6
C	76	331	268	12	687
D	79	305	246	52	682
E	17	104	72	26	219
F	14	75	63	22	174
G	5	22	12	11	50
Grand Total	1,272	4,655	4.216	3,600	13,743

Home Energy Scotland Loan Scheme

Since its launch in May 2017, there have been 3,076 loan applications paid out under the Home Energy Scotland loan scheme; comprising 2,805 owner occupied and 271 private rented sector applications. The information on EPC band achieved is not held centrally and is a matter for the Energy Savings Trust as keepers of the EPC register. This data has been requested and is currently being collated and I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib number 61066).

Question reference: S5W-25612

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what delivery and practical quality control mechanisms will be available from April 2021 to engage and support (a) self-funding owner-occupiers and (b) contractors to help accelerate the take-up of energy-efficiency schemes and low-carbon heat installations, and how it will use the lessons learned from the Energy Efficient Scotland Transition Programme to support this.

Mechanisms available to both owner-occupiers and contractors are outlined in the Energy Efficient Scotland Route Map . Since the publication of the route map, recommendations from the Quality Assurance short life working group have been published in March 2019 and findings from the social evaluation of the first phase of LHEES pilots have also now been published.

In addition, a short life working group on assessment was established and has drawn up a set of interim proposals that will be tested via the owner occupiers consultation in December.

Question reference: S5W-25609

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how it will increase the range of financial and fiscal support packages mechanisms available to householders under the proposed Energy Efficient Scotland programme to meet the minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C rating.

Question reference: S5W-25610

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what financial and fiscal support mechanisms it considers should be made available to householders under the proposed Energy Efficient Scotland programme to help meet the proposed minimum standards, and what research it has carried out to determine this.

Modelled costs associated with the proposed standards were outlined in the Energy Efficient Scotland: partial business and regulatory impact assessment published on 2 May 2018.

In addition, we are considering all financial levers that could be used to support delivery of the EES target and will continue to review the evaluations from the Energy Efficient Scotland Transition pilots as they become available to help inform our considerations.

Question reference: S5W-25463

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 1 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government on what date its proposed first time buyer’s loan pilot scheme will start.

Question reference: S5W-25465

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 1 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how its proposed first time buyer’s loan pilot scheme differs from previous equity share schemes.

Question reference: S5W-25464

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 1 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what scrutiny there has been of its proposed first time buyer’s loan pilot scheme.

Question reference: S5O-03598

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 26 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the review of BS 8414 test methodology for combustible materials on buildings.

Public comments on the review of the BS 8414 test methodology for assessing the fire performance of external wall cladding systems were sought earlier this year.

These comments are now being considered by the relevant British Standards Institution committee, which is both expert and independent of government.

In retaining this option to test cladding systems, we have followed the recommendations of our review panel of fire experts.

Question reference: S5F-03573

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 September 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 September 2019

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is helping councils to prepare for Brexit.

Question reference: S5W-24928

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 13 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-24279 by Kevin Stewart on 5 August 2019, how the £24 million to support rapid rehousing implementation is being allocated, and whether the allocations will be made public.

I announced on the 17 July that the £24 million to support Rapid Rehousing implementation will be distributed as £8 million in 2019-2020, £8 million in 2020-2021 and £8 million in 2021-2022. This was posted on the official Scottish Government website.

Also on the 17 July, in a joint letter with Councillor Witham, COSLA, I confirmed the funding distribution to local authorities of the initial £8 million for 2019-2020. Please see the following table. As agreed with Council Leaders, this was calculated on the basis of a three year average of homelessness assessments for the period 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17.

The Scottish Government is in discussions with COSLA to develop and agree an approach to distribute the remaining £8 million for 2020-2021 and £8 million for 2021-2022. This will be announced in due course.

Local authority	Funding Allocation Rounded
Aberdeen City	£311,000
Aberdeenshire	£261,000
Angus	£172,000
Argyll & Bute	£95,000
Clackmannanshire	£103,000
Dumfries & Galloway	£143,000
Dundee City	£300,000
East Ayrshire	£119,000
East Dunbartonshire	£120,000
East Lothian	£160,000
East Renfrewshire	£76,000
Edinburgh, City of	£1,005,000
Eilean Siar	£34,000
Falkirk	£211,000
Fife	£524,000
Glasgow City	£1,322,000
Highland	£280,000
Inverclyde	£53,000
Midlothian	£141,000
Moray	£97,000
North Ayrshire	£187,000
North Lanarkshire	£389,000
Orkney Islands	£22,000
Perth & Kinross	£203,000
Renfrewshire	£186,000
Scottish Borders	£153,000
Shetland Islands	£31,000
South Ayrshire	£173,000
South Lanarkshire	£461,000
Stirling	£101,000
West Dunbartonshire	£265,000
West Lothian	£302,000