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All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
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Displaying 2095 contributions
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Meeting date: 24 September 2024
Willie Coffey
Do you know whether many councils are deploying that?
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Meeting date: 24 September 2024
Willie Coffey
We can perhaps follow up on that if we get an opportunity later.
I come back to the audit function. You mentioned a few times that the Audit Commission in England was disbanded in 2015. How much may that decision have led to the problems that the English councils in particular have faced? We know that audit has not disappeared—the audit function is prevalent at every level of local government. Why, therefore, when the Audit Commission disappeared in 2015, did that lead to the circumstances that we have discussed unfolding in England? Alternatively, would you say that it had nothing to do with that?
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Meeting date: 24 September 2024
Willie Coffey
That was a really thorough explanation, Abdool. While you were giving it, I was wondering why the internal audit function in Woking, which was mentioned in a previous example, did not wake up earlier to the prospect that it was about to go £2 billion into the red. What was happening there?
Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
Meeting date: 24 September 2024
Willie Coffey
I do not want to pick on poor old Woking, but were that council’s financial stability indicators not ringing alarm bells during the process of racking up a £2 billion pound deficit? Did it have any indicators that might have alerted it to that?
Economy and Fair Work Committee
Meeting date: 18 September 2024
Willie Coffey
Professor Roy, do you have anything to add to that?
Economy and Fair Work Committee
Meeting date: 18 September 2024
Willie Coffey
When you complete your journey, could we get a video of you put on Home Energy Scotland’s website, to tell everybody how successful you have been?
Economy and Fair Work Committee
Meeting date: 18 September 2024
Willie Coffey
I will drag us back to heat pumps for a wee moment. Murdo Fraser led some questions on heat pumps and why we are significantly off track, for which there are probably a number of reasons. When I talk to my constituents, they tell me that the quality of the information that they get is not enough and that they do not get assurance. The cost of heat pumps is a factor, because electricity is much more expensive than gas. There are a number of reasons why people are not making the switch, despite reasonable efforts to put grant money on the table.
What do you think will prompt a significant transition, particularly in private residential homes in Scotland, where persuading people to make the shift is still a huge problem? Could Scotland’s councils play a role in that? I think that a House of Lords committee made that recommendation. I could not imagine quoting a House of Lords report in the Scottish Parliament, but it could be sensible for Scotland’s councils to take a leading role, if they were able to do so. People might trust advice from their local authority, particularly if they were involved in the transition process. What key ingredients would ramp up the transition to heat pumps on the kind of scale that we really need if we are to get anywhere near the standards?
Economy and Fair Work Committee
Meeting date: 18 September 2024
Willie Coffey
That is fantastic.
I have a more general question about the regional impact of the just transition. How do we watch out for the regional imbalance being negative in some parts of Scotland? Professor Bell, you talked about where in Scotland the jobs will be and how we will monitor that. Is there a risk that parts of Scotland could be left behind because of the journey that we are making? How do both Governments make adjustments to ensure that that does not happen and that everybody can share in the journey to net zero?
10:30Economy and Fair Work Committee
Meeting date: 18 September 2024
Willie Coffey
Is there no idea at the moment? Does the Government—and perhaps even the college network—not know what is required?
Economy and Fair Work Committee
Meeting date: 18 September 2024
Willie Coffey
That sounds really encouraging, but, given those impacts, do you still think that we will achieve the required ramping up? On the evidence base, for example, it would be crucial for people to be able to speak to others who have made the change and ask them how much it costs them per month. That is key for me, as is having bigger incentives. I am afraid that there would have to be greater incentives for people to make the switch so that it makes it worth their while to do so. Along with that evidence base, Professor Bell, that might be the key to changing attitudes. Would you agree?