Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has drawn from a range of sources including the Labour Force Survey, the Fraser of Allander Institute and ONS’ Labour Market Statistics as part of its consideration of the impact of preventable illness and long term conditions on the Scottish economy. A range of actions are underway across government to mitigate this including the delivery of No-One Left Behind, reviewing the Health and Work Strategy and working with NHS and PHS to support the delivery of employer and employee work-related support services including Healthy Working Lives and Working Health Services Scotland.

Following initial discussions between Ministers in the aftermath of Storm Babet, the Deputy First Minister chaired the first formal meeting of the Storm Babet recovery taskforce this morning. It brought together relevant ministers and the Chair of the Tayside Recovery Group to discuss the impact of Storm Babet and any support the Scottish Government can provide for impacted communities working in partnership with local recovery partnerships.

The taskforce agreed a package of Scottish Government support for those suffering from the impacts of Storm Babet. This package will include a £1,500 community recovery payment for individuals whose properties have been flooded, and a £3,000 business recovery grant for businesses impacted by flooding. Grants will be administered by local authorities, further information on when and how to access will be made available in due course. 

In addition, support is already available to impacted households and businesses through Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rates, with powers available to Councils to exempt households and provide reliefs for impacted properties. Ministers also agreed to an extension of the timeframe to which the Bellwin scheme will apply, which will further support Local Authorities with the cost of recovery. The Scottish Welfare Fund is also in operation to help people in Scotland on low incomes through crisis grants and community care grants. There will also be support for the repair of agricultural floodbanks as well as an additional £50,000 for the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI) to help bolster the charity’s Flooding Crisis Fund.

This support is in addition to our long-standing annual funding of £42 million and the additional £150 million for flood risk management and £12 million for coastal change adaptation over the course of this parliament.

The taskforce will also consider medium and long term impacts of Storm Babet, and will meet in another two weeks to assess progress.

Our Heat in Buildings Strategy recognises that some properties may have fewer technology options available as a result of location and property type, impact on the fabric of historic buildings and electricity grid capacity.

The cost of converting to a clean heating system is likely to vary according to property type, size and condition. We therefore have a broad range of delivery programmes to provide advice and financial support for householders related to energy efficiency and clean heating.

The Scottish Government funds Home Energy Scotland (HES), administered by Energy Saving Trust, to provide free and impartial advice on energy efficiency, renewable heating and fuel poverty support in Scotland. Within HES there are specialist renewables advisors with training on home renewables systems, home energy efficiency; and solutions for hard to treat and historic buildings. These specialists provide an in-depth service to Scottish homeowners, which can include on-site assessments.

Our Warmer Homes Scotland programme takes a bespoke, whole house approach to support those at risk of fuel poverty through installing insulation and heating measures. A retrofit assessment in accordance with PAS 2035 quality standards is prepared for each home and only where renewables or zero direct emissions heating are technically appropriate, and would not increase running costs, will we offer those to the householder. A wide range of measures is available under the programme and where renewables are not appropriate then the assessor will recommend a suitable package of insulation and/or other heating options.

We will consult before the end of the year on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill. Any regulations introduced will be technology-neutral since different homes and buildings will require different clean heat solutions (including heat pumps, heat networks and direct electric heating systems).

The pace of the Heat in Buildings transition requires a substantial growth in supply chains, including heat pump installation and maintenance. Supporting Scotland’s current and future workforce to develop the skills needed for the net zero transition is a priority for this government. Our Heat in Buildings Supply Chains Delivery Plan sets out practical steps that we will take to support the growth of the green heat sector. We continue to work in partnership with the sector to ensure that the appropriate support and training provision are aligned at a local level with business needs and future local demands.

The Scottish Government remains committed to its fabric first approach, set out in our Heat in Buildings Strategy, which prioritises improving the energy efficiency of Scotland’s homes. This is critical to the heat transition, reducing demand for energy, and making homes warmer and easier to heat. However, ensuring that the fabric of a home is in good condition, and adequately repaired if required, prior to completing insulation works is important.

Our Heat in Buildings Supply Chains Delivery Plan sets out practical steps that we will take to support the growth of the green heat sector We continue to work in partnership with the sector to ensure that the appropriate support and training provision are aligned at a local level with business needs and future local demands.

The Scottish Government currently has no specific plans to provide mobility aids to medical charities operating in war zones. However, we will work with NHS Scotland and local authorities to respond to such requests from recognised partners, including WHO and UN bodies.

The Scottish Government has provided significant financial aid to humanitarian efforts in war zones in Gaza and Ukraine. We also donated a significant amount of medical supplies to Ukraine last year as part of the UK humanitarian response, coordinated by Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The Renewables Installer Finder tool, funded by Scottish Government, provides information on Microgeneration Certification Scheme certified installers who operate in Scotland and wish to list their information on the tool. The tool can be found at: Renewables Installer Finder (est.org.uk)

Our Heat in Buildings Supply Chains Delivery Plan sets out practical steps that we will take to support the growth of the green heat sector. We continue to work in partnership with the sector to ensure that the appropriate support and training provision are aligned at a local level with business needs and future local demands. The Scottish Government has funded Energy Saving Trust to develop an Insulation Toolkit to explain the importance of insulation and the likely future demand. It also gives guidance to help installers achieve PAS 2030 certification and become TrustMark registered. This will be launched shortly and will be promoted to stakeholders by Energy Saving Trust.

Funding agreements issued for the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme are between applicants and Energy Savings Trust, who administer the scheme on behalf of the Scottish Government. Funding provided is for the installation of approved measures only.

As a consumer led scheme, the applicant sources the installer and enters into a contract with that organisation. Similarly, any contracts for maintenance and servicing would be for the applicant to arrange.