- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 5 December 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Consumers and Markets Taskforce has had with Citizens Advice Scotland regarding options for a unified priority services register across public authorities, agencies and utilities.
Answer
The Consumers and Markets Taskforce was created to provide Scottish Ministers with strategic advice on priorities and actions relating to consumer and market issues in Scotland. As its remit evolved, its focus moved to supporting the practical development of Consumer Scotland in order to ensure that the Scottish Government’s desire to better represent consumers and put them at the centre of policy-making could be realised. As this work has continued, The Scottish Government has also provided support to consumer advocacy and advice bodies to ensure that the needs of priority consumers are considered and acted upon and the needs of priority customers continue to be discussed in Ministers’ and officials’ direct engagements with energy suppliers.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 5 December 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Ofgem on protecting consumers from higher bills as a direct result of energy supply company failures, where credit balances and unpaid renewables obligations are thereafter mutualised across other suppliers.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-26451 on 5 December 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 5 December 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to convene a further meeting of energy suppliers and consumer organisations to discuss support for vulnerable consumers.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-26472 on 5 December 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .
Whilst we currently have no plans for further summits, the Scottish Government continues to engage with individual energy suppliers and stakeholders as part of our commitment to advocate for the needs of Scottish energy consumers to the UK Government, Ofgem and energy suppliers. Should there be a need, the Scottish Government is open to holding such summits in the future.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 5 December 2019
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ask Ofgem to provide an estimate of the costs of energy supplier failure in Scotland, including (a) managing the supplier of last resort process, (b) covering the cost of consumer credit balances and (c) unpaid renewables obligations, since January 2018.
Answer
All legislative and regulatory powers regarding electricity and gas markets remain reserved to UK Ministers under the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998, and, consequently, the Scottish Government does not currently have any devolved powers to direct actions in either market. However, we have a good working relationship with the UK regulator, Ofgem, and seek, within this limited context, to work closely with them and officials and Ministers within the UK Government to ensure that the electricity and gas markets work as well as can be achieved for Scottish consumers and to help Scottish Ministers to address fuel poverty and meet the needs of vulnerable customers. These issues also feature strongly in our ongoing discussions with energy suppliers as we seek to deliver against Scotland’s Energy Strategy.
We are currently considering Ofgem’s ongoing consultation on the Supplier Licensing Review, with a view to identify any further issues that may need to be highlighted as part of the Scottish Government response and wider efforts to ensure the best possible outcomes for Scotland’s energy consumers.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 5 December 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what actions and commitments were agreed at the energy suppliers roundtable, which it hosted on 19 January 2018, and what progress has been made in taking forward each of these, including those concerning compiling Scotland-specific data covering (a) pre-payment meters, (b) warrants, (c) smart meter installs and (d) the number of customers enrolled on (i) the Priority Services Register and (ii) standard variable tariffs.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s Energy Consumer Action Plan, published in May 2019, builds on the outcomes of the Vulnerable Energy Consumer Summit in January 2018. It was developed with support from an expert advisory group. It takes into account recent development in energy systems and markets and addressed the remaining actions from the summits. A full list of actions can be found at https://www.gov.scot/publications/energy-consumer-action-plan-putting-consumers-heart-scotlands-energy-transition/pages/3/ .
These include commitments to:
- establish an energy consumer commission to amplify the voice of Scottish energy consumers,
- developing an energy consumer charter that will set guiding principles to support the collective effort needed to address issues impacting Scottish consumers and,
- sharing more consumer data through an interactive data hub.
We have called on Ofgem to provide more detailed data on Scottish consumers and they have agreed to amend the social obligation reporting requirements for energy suppliers from 2021 to gain more insight into Scottish Energy consumer issues. We will continue to work closely with Ofgem to build on this data to improve our understanding of issues affecting vulnerable consumers. In addition we have drawn on other data sources to gain insight into the number of consumers using pre-payment meters amongst other issues.
Whilst we currently have no plans for further summits, the Scottish Government continues to engage with individual energy suppliers and stakeholders as part of our commitment to advocate for the needs of Scottish energy consumers to the UK Government, Ofgem and energy suppliers.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 5 December 2019
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will seek reassurance from Ofgem that there will be no significant mutualisation of costs once its supplier licensing proposals have been finalised and implemented.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-26451 on 5 December 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2019
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what it can do to support the re-establishment of the O2 ABC venue in Glasgow.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2019
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 4 December 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what bids it has received from Glasgow City Council, or the local authority's arms length external organisations, for support from the Ending Homelessness Together fund in each year since 2017.
Answer
We have not received any bids for funding from the Ending Homelessness Together Fund, which has been established to support transformation and transition as we deliver the changes set out in the Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan.
However, the following table shows funding received by Glasgow City Council from the Ending Homelessness Together Fund since it was established in 2018-19.
Year | Amount | Organisation | Reason |
2018-19 | £301,000 | Glasgow City Council | Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans development |
2019-20 | £1,332,000 | Glasgow City Council | Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans implementation – Year 1 |
In 2018-19, £1.25 m was allocated to Corra Foundation from the Ending Homelessness Together Fund for distribution across the service providers operating in the five Housing First pathfinder sites, which includes Glasgow. A total of up to £6.5 m from the Ending Homelessness Together Fund and the Health Portfolio is being made available for the 3 year Housing First pathfinder programme.
In addition, the Ending Homelessness Together Fund has been used to provide funding to national organisations for Scotland-wide projects, some of which will benefit services in Glasgow.
Funding received for interventions specifically for Glasgow are shown in the following table:
Year | Amount | Organisation | Reason |
2018-19 (April 2018) | £7,500 | Simon Community Scotland | Flexible Emergency Funds* - Glasgow |
2018-19 (Jan 2019) | £21,000 | Simon Community Scotland | Flexible Emergency Funds – Glasgow |
2019-20 (Oct 2019) | £25,000 | Simon Community Scotland | Flexible Emergency Funds – Glasgow |
2019-20 | £140,000 | Simon Community Scotland | Contribution to the Multi-Agency Health, Wellbeing And Home Hub for Glasgow |
2019-20 | £10,000 | Simon Community Scotland | Outreach Contingency Fund to provide extra outreach shift at night on Glasgow and Edinburgh |
*Flexible Emergency Funds are a facility available to frontline outreach staff to act immediately and directly in the interests of the person they are working with to prevent rough sleeping.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 3 December 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of sub-zero temperatures being recorded in the city in November 2019, what its response is to calls for night shelters in Glasgow to open before 1 December.
Answer
As set out in my letter to you dated 27 November, I support the views of organisations across the homelessness sector in Glasgow that this kind of emergency accommodation is not what we should be aspiring to. The third sector organisations working in this sector have been very clear that what is needed is resource and empowerment to work with those who are “hardest to reach” and get them into a settled, mainstream home with support to address their wider needs. That is why planning and working together effectively, across housing partners, the wider third and public sector and involving mental health and addictions services is so important. The shift towards Rapid Rehousing for all homeless households is central to our plans, including Housing First wrap-around support for those with multiple and complex needs. This will ensure that emergency shelter is only ever needed in extreme circumstances.
That said, I welcome the news that, after discussion and weather monitoring by partners, the Glasgow Winter Night Shelter will open on Thursday 28 November, 3 days earlier than scheduled.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 27 November 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help families experiencing in-work poverty.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 27 November 2019
