Hansard

I am pleased to contribute to today’s important debate on behalf of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee.

We examined the buildings element of the climate change plan and the role that local authorities have to play in delivering the plan’s ambitions. As buildings are the fourth-largest emitter of carbon in Scotland, it is critical that we take action on decarbonising how we heat our homes and other buildings if Scotland is to meet its net zero target. In practical terms, there needs to be a huge shift away from gas heating to technology such as heat pumps.

Sadly, stakeholders told us about their frustration that we have had a lost decade in which, even though it has been clear what actions could make a difference, instead of getting on and delivering those, we have been mired in lengthy planning and strategising. As a result, people lack confidence that the climate change plan can deliver.

Back in 2023, the Scottish Government announced that it would deliver a sea change through the heat in buildings bill that it would introduce in this session of Parliament to legislate for the installation of heat pumps in our homes. That legislation never arrived. Instead, the Government has published a draft bill, which some would say has greatly altered the original vision for decarbonising homes.

I highlight that because one of the committee’s key concerns is that, at the moment, very few homes use a heat pump. Only around 7,000 heat pumps were installed in 2024. In stark contrast, Nesta in Scotland has estimated that around 110,000 heat pumps will need to be installed over the course of the next parliamentary session, which is equivalent to 22,000 a year. The climate change plan does not set out how that dramatic change will take place, although it commits to a new heat in buildings strategy and delivery plan, which is to be published this year. I hope that that will prove to be the driver for change.

In the meantime, the Climate Change Committee’s report on Scotland’s progress in reducing emissions agrees with our conclusion that, fundamentally, the draft CCP lacks sufficiently detailed plans for buildings. In particular, there will need to be a rapid acceleration in reducing emissions in 10 years’ time, but it is not clear yet how that will be enabled. The CCC’s report describes that as a “delay and catch-up” approach, which carries significant risk. It says:

“A more plausible approach”

would be to scale up

“the recent steady increase in heat pump installations”.

My committee identified a number of components that will be critical in delivering such an approach. First, we need to have a national retrofitting plan that sets out how we will go about making our homes more energy efficient. Tenement buildings, which make up around 30 per cent of our urban housing stock, represent a significant challenge, as do our rural properties, which are typically older and colder.

The first step is to ensure that we have enough people trained in the right skills. A skills plan must be a component of a wider retrofitting plan and it must include traditional building skills. Building the right skills for Scotland’s varied housing stock presents a huge economic opportunity, but it is not going to happen without leadership.

We also need to build the demand for decarbonising homes. People need to want to have technology such as heat pumps installed, and it needs to be made possible and easy for them. They need to know where to go for trusted advice and help with planning what they are going to spend money on. The committee recommends that the Government supports the creation of one-stop shops that can provide that kind of support. Home Energy Scotland provides an important service, but it is difficult to see how it will be able to meet future demand, particularly for more tailored advice. There is also a need for an updated public engagement strategy that will cover how consumers will be informed about what they can do, why they should be doing it, and where they can go for help and financial support.

Local authorities are key to the delivery of the climate change plan. It is clear that they recognise the urgency. When they came to committee, it was clear that they are ready to act, but they told the committee that they need a route map for how to do that. They told the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee the same thing in 2023, and that resulted in a recommendation to the Scottish Government to do just that. However, the draft CCP has not taken that on board.

We therefore recommend that the final version of the plan gives local authorities clarity by setting out their role in delivering each policy and proposal contained in it. It is difficult to see how local authorities will be able to identify sufficient resources to deliver the ambitions in the plan. The committee therefore also calls on the Scottish Government to explore what additional resource and long-term certainty it can provide through multiyear funding.

We hope that the Scottish Government takes account of the committee’s recommendations and that the final version of the climate change plan will provide the clarity and leadership that are needed. Otherwise, I fear that Scotland’s important net zero ambitions might be at risk.

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