Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 03 February 2016
03 Feb 2016 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Portfolio Question Time
Climate Change Targets (Fuel Poverty and Housing)
Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners’ Rights
As I said in my previous answer, we have set up the rural fuel poverty task force, which is specifically considering issues in global and remote areas. We have also adapted our home energy efficiency programme Scotland—HEEPS—scheme to take into account the issue of fuel poverty in rural areas and ensure that more can be spent in those areas, because we recognised the difficulties that they face.
We have implemented a number of other measures to help with the training and accreditation of the installers, to ensure that we can support local businesses in rural areas as well.
In the same item of business
3. Graeme Pearson (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of the effect of the reduction in fuel poverty and energy efficiency funding in the “Draft Budget 20...
The Minister for Housing and Welfare (Margaret Burgess)
SNP
We have allocated £103 million to tackle fuel poverty and energy efficiency in 2016-17, which will be used to help install energy efficiency measures, includ...
Graeme Pearson
Lab
The Government’s Scottish house condition survey has just reported. Between 2012 and 2014, it records a 3 per cent rise in people in East Ayrshire, my area, ...
Margaret Burgess
SNP
The methodology that is used in the Scottish house condition survey to estimate fuel poverty was recently changed to include the contribution of the warm hom...
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD)
LD
Is the minister aware that the Scottish house condition survey, which has been mentioned, shows that more than half of households in Shetland are in fuel pov...
Margaret Burgess
SNP
As I said in my previous answer, we have set up the rural fuel poverty task force, which is specifically considering issues in global and remote areas. We ha...
Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab)
Lab
As well as cutting the fuel poverty budget in this year’s budget, the minister has cut business rates relief for the renewables industry in Scotland. How muc...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
You can answer that if you want, minister, but it is not relevant to the initial question.
Margaret Burgess
SNP
I will speak to the Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism and write to the member on that issue.