Hansard

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 ensure that people do not lose out in the way described, so we are actively looking at a programme for vulnerable groups who do not fit into the national retrofit scheme. We have taken that on board and we have consulted the Energy Saving Trust, which is happy with what we are doing.

The majority of the Scottish Government’s fuel poverty budget goes to the energy assistance package, which Elaine Murray just mentioned, and most of the money allocated to that is used to fund central heating and insulation measures for households at risk of fuel poverty. The EAP was designed to integrate with the previous carbon emission reduction targets, which have now been replaced by the energy company obligation. Elaine Murray asked us to ensure that vulnerable people do not lose out and we will do that.

From April, the Scottish Government’s energy assistance package will be superseded by the national retrofit programme, which is designed to get the most for Scotland out of the energy company obligation. The majority of the £65 million fuel poverty budget for 2013-14 will go to local authority area-based schemes.

The Scottish Government is committed to continuing to provide the home energy Scotland hotline and the energy advice, tariff and benefits checking that form stages 1 and 2 of the energy assistance package. The home energy Scotland hotline will integrate with the national retrofit programme. It will provide a route into the support for vulnerable households that are outside area-based schemes, as well as directing households within the areas served by local authority schemes to those schemes. As I said, we have not made a final decision on the best means of providing support to vulnerable households.

There are a number of issues around rural areas. A number of funds can support the development of renewable options for individuals and communities in off-gas areas. They include the warm homes fund, the community and renewable energy scheme and the home renewables loan scheme. Those schemes are designed to fit with the United Kingdom financial framework for supporting domestic renewable energy and are aimed at supporting a range of applicants, including individuals, community groups, rural businesses and registered social landlords.

We proposed a community-based approach to tackling fuel poverty in our 2011 manifesto, which earmarked £50 million over the course of this parliamentary session for a warm homes fund to promote district heating and renewables options. The first project, which is supported by the warm homes fund, is at West Whitlawburn, in Cambuslang, which I hope to visit soon. The project is expected to become operational in July 2013. We have other schemes in the pipeline that we hope to announce shortly. RSLs will use the income received from the UK schemes to promote renewable energy to improve the energy efficiency of housing and give people warmer homes.

District heating networks can provide low-cost heat to households, particularly in multistorey blocks and off-gas-grid areas. Heat networks mean that we can use heat more efficiently from a range of sources such as gas-fired combined heat and power plants, renewables, and heat recovery from industrial processes.

Fuel poverty is a blight on our country. This Scottish Government will continue to urge the UK Government, which has responsibility for this area, to do more to drive down energy costs and ensure that our households are better protected. However, members of this Parliament—and the people of Scotland—can be assured that their Scottish Government has done and will continue to do all that it can within our existing powers to tackle the scourge of fuel poverty.

I move,

That the Parliament recognises the Scottish Government’s efforts in tackling fuel poverty; welcomes the continued investment in energy efficiency and fuel poverty and the contrast with the UK Government’s cutting of its fuel poverty budget and withdrawal of any taxpayer-funded support from April 2013; recognises the early indications from the National Retrofit Programme “go-early” pilots that energy companies view Scotland as an attractive place to invest; notes the economic benefits of such programmes and the contribution that they make to reducing carbon emissions; supports the Scottish Government’s call on the UK Government to tackle the energy market to provide a better deal for consumers, and notes with concern the expected impact on household incomes arising from the UK Government’s welfare reform plans, which it believes will lead to an increase in inequality.

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