Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 23 February 2021
These measures to tackle Scotland’s move to zero carbon by the middle of the century will no doubt be welcomed by all parties.
When the bill came before Parliament at stage 1, I noted that modern district heating systems were pioneered in New York in 1877, where Birdshill Holly, having noticed the abundance of thermal energy in towns and cities, realised that it could be repurposed and piped into homes to meet public demand. That is a case study of initiative and the free market making lives comfortable with minimal additional impact on our environment. The question of why it has taken so long over the past almost century and a half for the idea to catch on here might arise, but it is reassuring to know that a similar idea has finally caught on and seems to be at the centre of the bill. It must be implemented by action.
There is the undesirable possibility that regulated and licensed energy and heating networks could lead to rising prices and a disproportionate impact on the least well-off.? That is what we do not need.
An excellent Great Britain-wide framework demonstrating the benefits of our great union is what we do need. A single British regulator—the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets—might be able to ensure that matters proceed in an organised fashion to the benefit of us all. Effective solutions are needed.
The bill’s narrow purpose conceals a vast number of policy areas, which include efficiency, climate targets and land rights.?I am pleased to see amendments that will, for example, require developer engagement with local communities before seeking consent for new developments. Local consultation is a good thing in instances where Government action can cause significant disruption. Indeed, communities should be at the heart of the bill’s operation.
At stage 2, Citizens Advice Scotland described the aims of the bill as “admirable” but cited troubling cases of those who have had their heat turned off after accruing arrears.
The Scottish Conservatives called for the expansion of district heating in our manifesto five years ago and for the networks in 2017. The Scottish National Party in government has often missed its own loudly hailed targets. I accept that this is an energy quadrilemma for us all. Let us hope that the commitments that are set out in the bill do not disappear in the mists of future time.
My party and I support the bill.
16:54