Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 23 January 2013
23 Jan 2013 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Fuel Poverty
I encourage the minister to look again at supporting efforts in Orkney to harness more of the excellent renewable resources that we have in the islands to provide lower-cost electricity to fuel-poor households. At present, much of that resource is being constrained, off the grid, or pumped straight into the ground. Surely there is an opportunity for some joined-up thinking to allow Orkney and communities elsewhere in Scotland to derive more benefits from our assets. In the past, ministers have been reluctant to promote the idea of local councils or other community bodies taking on more of a role in energy supply, but that issue is worthy of further consideration.
I firmly believe that the Scottish Government has taken the issue of fuel poverty seriously. The development of many schemes that were initiated under the previous Scottish Executive has been sensible and effective, and I welcome the retrofit programme. However, the challenges in continuing to make progress are all too evident. In a sense, we have dealt with the low-hanging fruit, and what follows will be more tricky and costly. The Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee puts the bill at around £200 million a year; Energy Action Scotland insists that it is likely to be nearer £300 million. It has also made the point that the funding should be secure and over and above what the energy companies invest.
The minister will point to the £200 million in the budget, but that is almost certainly insufficient. She ignores the fact that the Government has made political choices about how it chooses to spend money. Since taking office, ministers have repeatedly refused to engage in discussions about how significant resources that are spent on Scottish Water might be better deployed while public control is retained over Scottish Water. That missed opportunity is directly affecting ministers’ ability to fund measures to combat fuel poverty.
The minister is correct to say that the number of households in fuel poverty at the start of the 21st century in Scotland, which is an energy-rich country, is scandalous. Tackling that will require collective effort, innovative approaches and significant resources. It does not need ministers relegating the issue below their obsession with the referendum and picking fights rather than working on solutions with Westminster.
I have pleasure in moving my somewhat lengthy amendment: I move amendment S4M-05424.1, to leave out from “the contrast” to end and insert:
“recognises the early indications from the National Retrofit Programme ‘go-early’ pilots that energy companies view Scotland as an attractive place to invest; further welcomes UK Government schemes to improve energy efficiency and tackle fuel poverty that will help households in Scotland, in particular the innovative Green Deal, which will launch in January 2013, under which individuals and businesses will be able to implement energy efficiency improvements to their properties paid for through savings on their energy bills, and the £1.3 billion Energy Company Obligation (ECO) that targets support at households in fuel poverty and those with hard-to-insulate homes; believes that as the ECO is taken forward, ministers should ensure that the obligation provides support for remote and rural communities with high rates of fuel poverty and higher costs; congratulates the UK coalition government on its decision to permanently increase the cold weather payment from £8.50 per week to £25 per week; recognises that action to reduce reliance on fossil fuels is required to tackle rising energy bills and welcomes the significant sums invested in the Scottish renewables industry in recent years, with around 11,000 jobs in Scotland now directly related to the renewables sector; further welcomes the UK Energy Bill, which is designed to ensure that there is a competitive market of diverse suppliers and energy sources in which consumers can obtain the best possible deal; supports the UK coalition government’s efforts to simplify tariffs to ensure that consumers are on the lowest tariff appropriate to their circumstances but, nevertheless, remains concerned that many customers find themselves subject to large increases in their energy bills, above the headline figure announced by energy companies; believes that, in order to meet the target to end fuel poverty by 2016, both governments must work together constructively in the best interests of Scotland’s people, and calls on the Scottish Government to work with the Treasury in order to unlock funds from Scottish Water to increase significantly its home insulation programme, which will reduce Scotland’s carbon footprint, cut family heating bills and generate thousands of green jobs across the country.”
I firmly believe that the Scottish Government has taken the issue of fuel poverty seriously. The development of many schemes that were initiated under the previous Scottish Executive has been sensible and effective, and I welcome the retrofit programme. However, the challenges in continuing to make progress are all too evident. In a sense, we have dealt with the low-hanging fruit, and what follows will be more tricky and costly. The Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee puts the bill at around £200 million a year; Energy Action Scotland insists that it is likely to be nearer £300 million. It has also made the point that the funding should be secure and over and above what the energy companies invest.
The minister will point to the £200 million in the budget, but that is almost certainly insufficient. She ignores the fact that the Government has made political choices about how it chooses to spend money. Since taking office, ministers have repeatedly refused to engage in discussions about how significant resources that are spent on Scottish Water might be better deployed while public control is retained over Scottish Water. That missed opportunity is directly affecting ministers’ ability to fund measures to combat fuel poverty.
The minister is correct to say that the number of households in fuel poverty at the start of the 21st century in Scotland, which is an energy-rich country, is scandalous. Tackling that will require collective effort, innovative approaches and significant resources. It does not need ministers relegating the issue below their obsession with the referendum and picking fights rather than working on solutions with Westminster.
I have pleasure in moving my somewhat lengthy amendment: I move amendment S4M-05424.1, to leave out from “the contrast” to end and insert:
“recognises the early indications from the National Retrofit Programme ‘go-early’ pilots that energy companies view Scotland as an attractive place to invest; further welcomes UK Government schemes to improve energy efficiency and tackle fuel poverty that will help households in Scotland, in particular the innovative Green Deal, which will launch in January 2013, under which individuals and businesses will be able to implement energy efficiency improvements to their properties paid for through savings on their energy bills, and the £1.3 billion Energy Company Obligation (ECO) that targets support at households in fuel poverty and those with hard-to-insulate homes; believes that as the ECO is taken forward, ministers should ensure that the obligation provides support for remote and rural communities with high rates of fuel poverty and higher costs; congratulates the UK coalition government on its decision to permanently increase the cold weather payment from £8.50 per week to £25 per week; recognises that action to reduce reliance on fossil fuels is required to tackle rising energy bills and welcomes the significant sums invested in the Scottish renewables industry in recent years, with around 11,000 jobs in Scotland now directly related to the renewables sector; further welcomes the UK Energy Bill, which is designed to ensure that there is a competitive market of diverse suppliers and energy sources in which consumers can obtain the best possible deal; supports the UK coalition government’s efforts to simplify tariffs to ensure that consumers are on the lowest tariff appropriate to their circumstances but, nevertheless, remains concerned that many customers find themselves subject to large increases in their energy bills, above the headline figure announced by energy companies; believes that, in order to meet the target to end fuel poverty by 2016, both governments must work together constructively in the best interests of Scotland’s people, and calls on the Scottish Government to work with the Treasury in order to unlock funds from Scottish Water to increase significantly its home insulation programme, which will reduce Scotland’s carbon footprint, cut family heating bills and generate thousands of green jobs across the country.”
References in this contribution
Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-05424, in the name of Margaret Burgess, on tackling fuel poverty.14:41
The Minister for Housing and Welfare (Margaret Burgess)
SNP
I welcome the opportunity to reconfirm to the Parliament the Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling fuel poverty. The most recent fuel poverty figures ...
Jim Eadie (Edinburgh Southern) (SNP)
SNP
Is the minister aware that there are older people who are being cold called by companies that are not approved installers of the Scottish Government’s insula...
Margaret Burgess
SNP
I thank the member for that question, which concerns a matter that I have already taken up with the Energy Saving Trust and officials. There is a real concer...
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Green
I have spent quite some time over many years trying to persuade the Government to adopt a national approach to retrofitting the housing stock for energy effi...
Margaret Burgess
SNP
We introduced the pilots because of the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s delays in telling us how the energy company obligation will work and how to...
Elaine Murray (Dumfriesshire) (Lab)
Lab
Does the minister agree with the Energy Saving Trust’s view that, although there is a need for the national retrofit programme, there is also a need for a su...
Margaret Burgess
SNP
I was coming to that point on the next page of my speech. We are aware of the Energy Saving Trust’s view in that regard. The Government and I are keen to ens...
Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
The recent severe weather conditions and freezing temperatures remind us of the acute need to tackle fuel poverty in Scotland. We live in a time of increasin...
Margaret Burgess
SNP
That is a good thing.
Richard Baker
Lab
That should indeed be a good thing, as the minister has chosen to say from a sedentary position, but that is why we call on ministers to provide an update to...
Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
With increasing domestic energy costs, fuel poverty is never far from the top of the political agenda—and rightly so.It is invidious that households on modes...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Alex Johnstone
Con
Not at this stage.The Scottish Government’s motion makes reference to the national retrofit programme. I whole-heartedly support the NRP but, in reality, I a...
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
Will the member take an intervention now?
Alex Johnstone
Con
If Stewart Stevenson insists.
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
I am delighted to hear the member talk about renewables, but is he aware that between 80 and 90 per cent of recent rises in domestic energy bills are attribu...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
I will compensate you for taking that intervention, Mr Johnstone.
Alex Johnstone
Con
I hate to imagine what the tax take would need to be to finance the independent Scotland that the gentleman seems so keen to create.I believe that the most p...
Jamie Hepburn (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Alex Johnstone
Con
No, thank you.In this Parliament, we regularly address the issue of fuel poverty, which falls within the ambit of the Scottish Government’s responsibilities,...
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD)
LD
I certainly welcome this latest debate on fuel poverty, although I regret the way in which the Government and the minister have chosen to frame it.Just as th...
Annabelle Ewing (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP)
SNP
The member referred to the fact that Orkney is off the gas grid and to the hardship that faces struggling pensioners, in particular, with their sky-high fuel...
Liam McArthur
LD
The reasons for that are not necessarily ones that I am privy to. Nevertheless, it was interesting that the member’s colleague, Stewart Stevenson, vaunted th...
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
The member is misrepresenting me. Will he give way?
Liam McArthur
LD
I would encourage—
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
Come on.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
Order.
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
He named me.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
Mr Stevenson. Order.