Applicants have 9 months from confirmation of a funding offer to arrange and complete installation of the funded measures. Funding offers are only paid once the measure has been installed and a valid claim form and supporting documentation has been submitted to the scheme administrator.

Of the 1,923 heat pump funding offers made through the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme from its launch on 2 December 2022, the number that had completed their installation and been paid by 31 August 2023, broken down by local authority are:

As highlighted in the Heat in Buildings Monitoring and Evaluation Framework release from 28 November, existing data on further and higher education enrolments and apprenticeship starts may give an indication of the scale of the skills pipeline for the sector, however since educational groupings can be quite broad, there are data limitations. The Scottish Government will continue to engage with the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and post-school learning and training providers to better understand those who complete courses that are relevant to the framework. Destinations data can then be analysed to better understand outcomes for these students.

Applications to the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme can be unsuccessful due to the failure of a credit check. Credit checks are only carried out when an applicant is requesting loan funding.

An application may also be declined if the application fails to meet the conditions of the scheme. For example, if the applicant were to apply to use a non-accredited installer or if the measures applied for were not recommended for their property.

As referred to in the answer to question S6W-22629, we have a marketing campaign planned for the new year which will target households who are considering installing a heat pump. We are currently developing options for this campaign.

As we continue to engage with the sector, if a need to collect this information emerges then we will consider it.

The application for construction and operation of a new generating station at Peterhead is one made under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, directly to Scottish Ministers. This is due to its proposed generating capacity being in excess of 50 megawatts. Therefore, this is not the subject of call-in procedures, which may apply to planning applications made to planning authorities.

The objective of the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme is to support the installation of energy efficiency and clean heating measures amongst owner occupiers.

We use a number of metrics to monitor the scheme with particular focus on the number and value of grants and loans paid against the schemes allocated budget.

Our approach to monitoring our delivery schemes is set out in our recently published Heat in Buildings Monitoring and Evaluation Framework .

The Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan scheme is open to all domestic owner-occupied households in Scotland.

The rural uplift to the HES Grant and Loan is available to all island households, as well as households with a rural classification of 7 or 8 within the Scottish Government 8-fold Urban Rural Classification. It is also available to households with a rural classification of 6 if their postcode is registered as off-gas on the Xoserve off-gas list.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with Higher Education Institutions and other partners including Health Boards, Skills Development Scotland, and the Scottish Funding Council on skills development, employability and widening access to NHS Scotland careers, including the development of apprenticeship models to provide an ‘earn and learn’ pathway.

As noted in the response to question S6W-21440 on 3 October 2023, the Scottish Government is currently working with the local authority facilities management organisation, AssistFM, to develop a clear picture of the scale and uptake of breakfast provision across Scotland. This work is expected to be completed in Spring 2024. There are no plans to publish it separately, as this work is just one of the elements which will inform policy on school breakfasts, including timescales for developing a plan for breakfast provision, designed around the needs of children and families.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers