Hansard

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Linda Fabiani) SNP

The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-12140, in the name of Kevin Stewart, on a route map to an energy efficient Scotland. We have quite a bit ...

The Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy (Paul Wheelhouse) SNP

I am delighted to have the opportunity to open the debate and to discuss the important issue of energy efficiency. Just a week on from the launch of “Energy ...

Claudia Beamish (South Scotland) (Lab) Lab

I highlight to the minister the issue around training for those jobs, and local training in particular. I encourage him to comment on the opportunities to pl...

Paul Wheelhouse SNP

I very much welcome that comment. We clearly wish to think carefully about the labour market impacts of such a major investment programme. My colleague Jamie...

Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP) SNP

Is the minister aware that better insulated homes have a second level benefit for rural dwellers who are dependent on kerosene, in that, with the reduced ker...

Paul Wheelhouse SNP

Stewart Stevenson makes a very good point. I do not personally depend on kerosene, but I know that many constituents in Mr Stevenson’s constituency and peopl...

Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green) Green

The minister has mentioned the climate bill and its targets. One target was around the provision of renewable heat, and it looks like we will not meet that t...

Paul Wheelhouse SNP

I recognise Mark Ruskell’s demand for renewable heat. It is a very strong priority for us. We had progress, but the year before last, we had a setback with t...

John Scott (Ayr) (Con) Con

Last night, at 2 o’clock in the morning, when I could not sleep, I became aware of the BBC World Service intimating that, in California, it is about to becom...

Paul Wheelhouse SNP

We do not have a monopoly on wisdom and will always consider examples from around the world. We very much support solar energy and other renewables at a dome...

Alexander Burnett (Aberdeenshire West) (Con) Con

There is no doubt that the principles of the Scottish Government’s “Energy Efficient Scotland” route map are supported across the chamber. At a time when Gov...

Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD) LD

In the interests of clarity, I should say that although I welcome Mr Burnett’s support, our amendment was not selected for debate, so he will not have an opp...

Alexander Burnett Con

Well, we certainly support the principles behind it.

Lewis Macdonald (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab

I welcome Mr Burnett’s support for those principles, because there is a reference to remote, rural and island communities in the Labour amendment. I look for...

Alexander Burnett Con

We will come to that. Regardless of those exceptional areas, the SNP’s current aim is still 10 years too late. The existing homes alliance Scotland has note...

Paul Wheelhouse SNP

Given his urging of the Scottish Government to take more precipitate action, I would be grateful if Alexander Burnett could clarify that the UK Government’s ...

Alexander Burnett Con

If the minister had been listening, he would have heard me refer to the existing homes alliance and its suggestion of 2025, and the examples of improvements ...

Stewart Stevenson SNP

I remind members that the late Conservative member of Parliament Alex Johnstone helpfully made an amendment to the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill in 2009 tha...

Alexander Burnett Con

I agree that we all need to do more at all levels—Government, council and individual household. The minister asked what incentives we could look at, so I hav...

The Minister for Local Government and Housing (Kevin Stewart) SNP

Mr Burnett talks a lot about incentives. We recently had Tory proposals in the budget to reduce the spending power of the Parliament by half a billion pounds...

Alexander Burnett Con

It would be unfortunate to push aside this constructive debate on how we can assist our contribution to tackling climate change by tackling energy efficiency...

Paul Wheelhouse SNP

Will Mr Burnett take a brief intervention on that point?

Alexander Burnett Con

I will not, because I have taken more than my share of interventions in this speech. WWF Scotland and the consumer futures unit of Citizens Advice Scotland ...

Kevin Stewart SNP

The Green amendment was not chosen for debate.

Alexander Burnett Con

I thank the minister for pointing that out. We would have supported the amendment that the Greens lodged, which called for acceleration in public spending to...

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab

For clarification, the Labour amendment and the Tory amendment to the Scottish Government motion are the only two amendments that have been selected for deba...

Paul Wheelhouse SNP

Will Pauline McNeill take an intervention?

Pauline McNeill Lab

I knew that the minister would want to intervene on that point, so I will let him.

Paul Wheelhouse SNP

Just for clarity’s sake, I say that £146 million is being invested in energy efficiency in the current financial year, as I said in my opening statement. I a...

Pauline McNeill Lab

That was helpful. In this debate, it is important that we draw all that together, so that we can see what is going on. However, the essential point is that i...