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In June of this year, the Scottish Agricultural College published research on the links between community ownership of land and community resilience. It concluded that community resilience grows during the years following a buyout, both in terms of social development and economic growth as well as skills, empowerment and ambition. The SAC research was funded as part of this government’s research programme “Vibrant Rural Communities”.

Marine Scotland’s target time for providing consent for marine renewable developments is nine months. Since 2009, there have been three applications for marine renewable developments. One was consented in seven months, the other applications are still undergoing determination.

The most recent statistics from 2008 show that Scotland’s emissions had fallen by 21.2% from 1990, and that we are therefore halfway to achieving the 2020 target of reducing emissions by 42%. The statistics that will tell us whether the 42% target for 2020 has been met will not be available until 2021 or 2022. In the meantime, the report on proposals and policies shows that it is possible to meet our annual targets, and the interim target for 2020.

The majority of home insulation measures in Scotland are carried out as a result of the obligations the UK government places on the energy companies, through the Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT) and the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP). The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change is responsible for these policies and they are administered by Ofgem. As UK-wide schemes, historically they have been reported on at a UK level and little information was available on delivery in different parts of the UK. It is one of the objectives of the CERT Strategy for Scotland to improve the availability of data and the Scottish Government has been working with relevant parties to achieve this.

There is no published data for these schemes on measures delivered in Scotland for the period prior to April 2008. For CERT, the Energy Saving Trust published for the first time in October last year a series of reports based on data in the Home Energy Efficiency Database that provides a geographic distribution of professionally installed measures - currently cavity wall and loft insulation. This is available at:

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/business/Business/Information/Homes-Energy-Efficiency-Database-HEED/CERT-reports-from-HEED.

It provides data for Scotland, Wales, the English regions, each local authority in the UK and each of the UK parliamentary constituencies.

In addition to the measures funded through CERT and CESP (a proportion of which will have been carried out with complementary funding from Scottish Government home insulation programmes), a number of additional measures (specifically, loft top-ups) have been wholly funded through the Scottish Government’s Home Insulation Scheme. For those parliamentary constituencies where a Home Insulation Scheme operated, figures are given in the following table.

The majority of home insulation measures carried out in Scotland are as a result of the UK government obligations: Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT) and Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP). The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change is responsible for these policies and they are administered by Ofgem. CERT is a carbon saving obligation on energy companies, and 40% of this has to be achieved in a priority group of households. The priority group is defined as those in receipt of certain income-related benefits, or those over 70 years of age. Since April this year suppliers have had to meet a secondary equity obligation, requiring 15% of the target to be met in homes of those lower income families and elderly and disabled households on means tested benefits.

As GB-wide schemes historically they have been reported on at a GB level and little information was available on delivery in different parts of GB. It is one of the objectives of the CERT Strategy for Scotland to improve the availability of data and the Scottish Government has been working with relevant parties to achieve this. The data currently received has not allowed publication in the format requested due to the way it is reported to Ofgem and collected and submitted to EST. Published information includes:

For CERT, the Energy Saving Trust published for the first time in October last year a series of reports based on data in the Home Energy Efficiency Database that provides a geographic distribution of professionally installed measures - currently cavity wall and loft insulation. This is available at http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/business/Business/Information/Homes-Energy-Efficiency-Database-HEED/CERT-reports-from-HEED. It provides data for Scotland, Wales, the English regions, each local authority in GB and each of the GB parliamentary constituencies. It is not currently possible to provide a breakdown relating to vulnerability, income age, disability or benefits.

Ofgem’s review of the second year of CERT stated priority group carbon savings accounted for 43 per cent of total carbon savings of the overall CERT progress (up to and including CERT year 2) and including Energy Efficiency Commitment 2 carryover. Energy companies do not report by benefit group, just whether they qualify for the priority group or super priority group. Therefore there is no further breakdown available about the different types of household that make up the priority group.

Please see the Ofgem website (http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/SUSTAINABILITY/ENVIRONMENT/ENERGYEFF/Pages/EnergyEff.aspx) for detailed information including that in the review of the third year of CERT which includes the numbers of insulation measures going to the Priority Group and Super Priority Group between April 2008 and March 2011.

For CESP, some analysis for Scotland was published in the Annual Report for the year ending 31 December 2010. This reported that 13 schemes had been proposed (at that time) which were expected to result in 0.94 Mt CO₂ (lifetime) savings and install 66 measures (50% of which were insulation). In Scotland these households will be in super output areas ranked in the lowest 15% for the Income Domain of the Indices of Multiple Deprivation.

Scotland has no shortage of inspirational and creative talent who act as cultural ambassadors both within Scotland and on the international stage. For example, our national performing companies are among the great many cultural bodies and individuals who are already wonderful cultural ambassadors for Scotland, promoting our culture and artistic talent and enhancing our reputation as a modern, vibrant cultural destination.

We have made specific provision for up to 500 apprenticeship opportunities for the energy and low carbon sectors as part of the 25,000 apprenticeship places in 2011-12.

We have made specific provision for up to 500 apprenticeship opportunities for the energy and low carbon sectors as part of the 25,000 apprenticeship places in 2011-12, therefore a maximum of 500 companies in these sectors will be able to take part.

There are already a number of modern apprenticeship frameworks available which support the energy and low carbon sectors. All modern apprenticeship frameworks can be accessed on the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils Scotland website:

http://www.alliancescotland.org/ModernApprenticeships/MAFrameworks/MAFrameworks.aspx

The Scottish Government encourages take-up by housing associations of support available across Britain, including funding from energy suppliers under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and Community Energy Saving Programme; the Feed-In Tariff for renewable electricity, and the forthcoming Renewable Heat Incentive. Housing associations can get free independent help by contacting the Energy Saving Trust.

Our ambition is to see more energy generated from micro-renewables and we will publish a Microgeneration Strategy by the end of 2011. It will set out our plans to build on the range of support already in place.

The Scottish Government encourages take-up of funding for carbon reduction measures through a combination of regulation (in the social housing sector), guidance and funding programmes. Funding from energy suppliers primarily takes the form of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) programme, and the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP), although some companies do make available other resources, for example grants from charitable trusts.

Social housing landlords must ensure that their housing stock meets the energy efficiency requirements of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard, and support in the form of information and advice to help them to do this is available from a range of sources, including the Energy Saving Trust, and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (which organises and supports a Housing Energy Efficiency Learning Network). The Scottish Government grant aids the Energy Saving Trust Scotland to employ a full-time employee who works with social landlords (registered social landlord and council) to ensure maximum take-up of CERT and CESP. In October 2009, officials helped to organise a session in Glasgow on CESP for social housing providers.

In March 2011 guidance for local authorities, Addressing Climate Change in Local Housing Strategies, was published. This set out, sector by sector, the duties, powers, sources of funding and of information and advice available to them to improve the energy efficiency of housing in their area. It urged them to take a strategic approach, integrating improvements in energy efficiency with related action on housing quality and to plan so as to maximise investment from all available sources, including CERT and CESP.

Scottish Government funding programmes such as the Home Insulation Scheme, the Universal Home Insulation Scheme, and the Energy Assistance Package Social Sector Programme, have as a specific criterion for funding a requirement to secure complementary CERT investment.