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Scottish ministers are assessing their options with regard to the Sustainable Development Commission in Scotland and its functions, following the UK Government''s decision to withdraw funding from the end of the financial year.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35435 on the 19 August 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35435 on the 19 August 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The table below sets out the number of households in the areas covered by the first phase of the Home Insulation Scheme that were referred under that scheme for insulation measures. The table also shows the number of those households referred under HIS which have had insulation installed under the scheme up to 4 July. Households receiving more than one insulation measure are counted only once. Installations of insulation measures based on referrals from the scheme are still continuing.

All households referred for insulation measures under HIS should have such measures installed in due course providing that, following a technical survey their home is found to be suitable for the insulation measure proposed; the customer still wants the work undertaken and the installer is able to contact the customer to arrange to undertake the work, and, in cases where the householder is required to make a financial contribution, they are prepared to do so.

A telephone survey based on 1,000 interviews in HIS areas identified 681 respondents which had received a home survey. Of these 33% had not yet proceeded to receive an installation. The main reasons given by the customer for not proceeding included: they already have insulation (18%); their home is not suitable (13%); a perception that they are not eligible (10%); they do not now want the insulation (9%); concerns about their financial contribution (9%), and they are waiting for the installer to contact them (7%).

Local council within which HIS area is located	Numbers of households for whom at least one referral for insulation under HIS was made	Numbers of households with at least one insulation installation under HIS (up to 4 July)
Orkney	254	152
Highland	1,445	766
Western Isles	2,634	1,362
Angus	1,768	780
Dundee	1,972	859
Glasgow	2,297	802
South Lanarkshire	295	154
Stirling	2,425	877
Edinburgh	1,619	483
Fife	1,800	674
Total	16,509	6,909

 

These figure do not include referrals for insulation from households in HIS areas to the Energy Assistance Package (EAP). Outcomes from the EAP are reported separately on the Energy Saving Trust website:

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/Scotland-Welcome-page/At-Home/Energy-Assistance-Package/Programme-Statistics/Programme-Statistics-February-2010.

The Universal Home Insulation Scheme Implementation Group, which I chair, has recommended that delivery of the scheme is led by local authorities. The Implementation Group, Scottish Government and COSLA have agreed and finalised the arrangements for the scheme, together with associated bidding guidance to assist local authorities and their partners in preparing bids. Bidding documents were issued to local authorities on 19 July 2010 and are due to be returned to the Scottish Government by 27 August 2010, following which assessment and area selection will take place.

The Scottish Government''s approach to delivery of phase two of the Home Insulation Scheme (HIS) in 2010-11 was agreed with COSLA. We are working to agree the detail of final schemes for those local authorities which bid unsuccessfully in 2009-10, and have also given those authorities which chose not to bid in 2009-10 a further opportunity to do so. As a result we have been considering these bids for inclusion in the second phase of HIS and shall announce the outcome when we have completed this process.

We estimate that the £15 million of Scottish Government funding available to deliver the second phase of the Home Insulation Scheme in 2010-11 will allow us to target around 200,000 households throughout Scotland. A more precise figure will be available when all bids have been considered and final decisions taken.

The remit of the Public Sector Climate Action Group is available on the Scottish Government website at:

www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/climatechange/scotlands-action/Workingothers/pscag.

The Public Sector Climate Action Group has met three times. Meeting papers are available on the Scottish Government website at:

www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/climatechange/scotlands-action/Workingothers/pscag.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35296 on 4 August 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.