Chamber and committees

The last meeting of the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare took place on 2 November 2021. The last bilateral meeting was held between the Minister for Social Security and Local Government and UK Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work on 3 November 2021.

The Heat in Buildings Strategy sets out the Scottish Government’s approach to different zero emissions heat technologies, drawing on a wide range of evidence, including modelling of the suitability of different technologies across the whole Scottish housing stock, and consideration of wider energy system interactions. We are also working to support households to make decisions that are right for them, through advice provided by Home Energy Scotland, reform of Energy Performance Certificates, and development of Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies.

Research on the suitability of different technologies across the housing stock in Scotland: https://www.gov.scot/publications/technical-feasibility-low-carbon-heating-domestic-buildings-report-scottish-governments-directorate-energy-climate-change/

The purpose of the Green Heat Finance Taskforce is to develop a portfolio of innovative financial solutions for building owners in Scotland to ensure that by 2045, our homes and buildings no longer contribute to climate change, as part of the wider just transition to net zero. The Taskforce will be engaging with stakeholders covering both on-gas and off-gas grid properties during 2022. The Scottish Government's Heat in Buildings Strategy has committed to phasing out the need to install new or replacement fossil fuel boilers in off-gas grid homes from 2025, with consideration of additional trigger points and subject to technological developments and decisions by the UK Government in reserved areas. The Scottish Government will consult further on these proposals over the next year.

The purpose of the Green Heat Finance Taskforce is to develop a portfolio of innovative financial solutions for building owners in Scotland to ensure that by 2045, our homes and buildings no longer contribute to climate change, as part of the wider just transition to net zero. Engagement with the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) sector on decarbonising heating systems in off gas-grid properties is taking place separately to the work of the Green Heat Finance Taskforce.

The Heat in Buildings Strategy is the foundation for delivering the heat transition in Scotland. It makes clear the Scottish Government’s intention to use regulation as part of a policy package that will ensure all buildings reach a good standard of energy efficiency by 2033, and use zero emissions heat by 2045. Regulations will also support delivery of the statutory 2030 target and the scale of decarbonisation in the buildings sector set out in the Climate Change Plan update. The breakdown of numbers of dwellings that will require upgrades in different periods and across different tenures depends in part on the detail of how regulations are implemented, meaning at this stage the requested analysis is not possible. We will consult on regulatory proposals prior to introducing legislation, and this process will be accompanied by appropriate impact assessments.

The membership and remit of the Green Heat Finance Taskforce is available on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/groups/heat-in-buildings-green-heat-finance-taskforce/.

The Scottish Government is committed to resourcing and supporting local authorities (LAs) through a mix of competitive and other funding programmes, as well as direct resource to support commitments to statutory targets. Specifically, we are committed to providing appropriate resource to all LAs to drive area-based planning and delivery of the heat transition, under our Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies programme. We are also committed to provide appropriate resource to enable them to deliver the provisions of the Heat Networks Act. Over this parliamentary session, £300 million will be available, including to LAs, to support the development and roll out of zero emission heat networks.

The Scottish Green Public Sector Estate Decarbonisation Scheme is designed to support leadership for decarbonisation of public buildings, with the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund accelerating the delivery of energy efficiency measures and zero emission heating systems to existing homes in the socially rented sector (including LAs). Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) and LAs are also supported by the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Development Fund to develop zero emission heating projects and strategic plans ready for capital funding. We have extended the scope of projects funded through our Area Based Schemes to include delivery of low carbon heating and microgeneration measures (solar PV) as part of a `whole house retrofit’. This includes costs associated with the whole house assessment, design, coordination and evaluation of retrofit measures. Lastly, we have non-competitive funding for investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure and decarbonisation of public sector fleets available to all LAs, with over £65 million of funding awarded over the last decade.

The Heat in Buildings Strategy confirms our intention to introduce, subject to consultation, regulations requiring Scotland’s homes to meet EPC Band C equivalent, where that is technically feasible and cost effective from 2025 onwards, with a range of backstop dates from 2028 to 2033. We plan to consult during 2022 on our proposals for such regulations, and this will include details of any exemptions, definitions of properties in scope, and matters relating to compliance.

The Scottish Government provides Historic Environment Scotland with considerable funding: a total of £72.9m in 2020-21 and £75.9m in 2021-22. Historic Environment Scotland is responding to the safety concerns identified at the properties in care using its existing resources of both Government funding and other income.

I can confirm that while there is restricted access at these specific sites in East Lothian, there is still public access available to the grounds of Tantallon Castle, and to the grounds, exhibition and shop of Dirleton Castle.

The Scottish Government will continue to discuss the sites with restricted access regularly with Historic Environment Scotland, whose programme of prioritised inspections will inform the timescale for reopening.

The Scottish Government does not gather information about the FOI performance of other Scottish public authorities. However, the Member may wish to note that since April 2013 public authorities have submitted FOI handling data to the Scottish Information Commissioner on a quarterly basis: FOI and EIR statistics database (itspublicknowledge.info) .

Individual NHS Boards may hold additional information.