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Loft and cavity wall insulation, which is prioritized under the UK Government''s Carbon Emissions Reductions Target scheme is the main focus of insulation measures under the Home Insulation Scheme (HIS) and is not appropriate for many hard-to-treat homes. However, within HIS areas, owners of hard to treat properties have been offered support to install such measures where these are appropriate. For example, properties that are of solid brick or stone walled construction, or those with timber frame cavities, are normally regarded as hard to treat, but may require measures such as loft insulation. On this basis, 32% of HIS insulation measures have been installed in hard to treat properties.

Owners of hard to treat properties in HIS areas have also been assisted in a range of other ways, including through energy efficiency advice, benefits and tariff checks to increase incomes and tackle fuel poverty (through the Energy Assistance Package), heating systems and other measures (through the Energy Assistance Package, where households are eligible) and interest free loans for more expensive energy efficiency measures.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-38535 on 25 January 2011. 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.

This information is not held centrally.

No client contribution is required for loft insulation top-ups provided under the Home Insulation Scheme. In the case of virgin loft and cavity wall insulation, if the tenant of a private landlord is within a priority group under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) scheme then no client contribution is required.

Client contributions are required for virgin loft and cavity wall insulation measures where the household is not in a priority group under CERT. These contributions are collected by installers and while a sample of payments is checked for audit purposes information on the extent of client contributions is not systematically collected from installers by the managing agent.

The anticipation is that private landlords will normally pay any financial contribution towards the cost of insulation measures in cases where such a contribution is required. However, the tenant would be given the option to pay this contribution if the landlord refused to do so.

The Home Insulation Scheme (HIS) provides intensive promotion of a range of energy efficiency programmes and related support to householders on the door-step in specific areas to assist in tackling climate change and fuel poverty and increase Carbon Emissions Reduction Target investment in Scotland. In addition to insulation measures, HIS ensures that households in targeted areas are also systematically offered:

Energy efficiency advice linked to Home Energy Checks;

Benefits and tariff checks to increase incomes and tackle fuel poverty (through the Energy Assistance Package (EAP))

Heating systems and other measures (through EAP, where households are eligible)

Interest free loans for more expensive energy efficiency measures, for example, in hard to treat properties.

There were 14,416 installations of Home Insulation Scheme insulation measures in the period to 5 December 2010. Reports providing an overview of all Home Insulation Scheme activity, including referrals to other programmes and support are published monthly on the Energy Saving Trust website at http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk.

The breakdown is as follows :

Percentage of Home Insulation Scheme (HIS) 2009-10 Budget Allocated

Category
A/B - insulation materials/labour1	35%
C “ publicity and promotion	3%
D “ administration2	7%

Notes:

1. Information is not collected on the breakdown between labour and materials costs. Includes enabling fund to assist in installation costs, e.g. loft clearance, reduction of installation costs in island areas. Does not include funding for insulation measures funded under CERT or from householder contributions.

2. Covers central managing agent staff and IT.

The remainder of the HIS 2009-10 budget has been allocated to support delivery costs (48%) which covers the costs incurred by the Energy Saving Scotland Advice Centres in providing and managing teams of energy assessors to engage with households living in the 180,000 houses in the HIS areas covered by the 2009-10 programme in order to generate uptake of insulation measures and provide services on the door step. This included the delivery of services such as energy efficiency advice, home energy checks and referrals to a range of energy efficiency and fuel poverty programmes. The remaining 7% of the budget is allocated to provision of other energy efficiency measures, including loans.

The £9.5 million allocated to the smartcard programme quoted in the draft budget 2011-12 paper will be used to fund the managed services that support the current ITSO interoperable smart systems, ITSO fees and charges, necessary software and hardware upgrades including back office systems development as well as supporting further development of smart and integrated ticketing.

The roll-out of smart enabled electronic ticket machines to the entire Scottish bus fleet has allowed Transport Scotland to introduce processes that enable it to manage the National Concessionary Travel Scheme more efficiently and more effectively. Transport Scotland will continue to review these processes and introduce further improvements as appropriate.

The Scottish Government has provided smart enabled electronic ticket machines to the entire Scottish bus fleet, as part of its administration of the National Concessionary Travel Scheme, and is working with First Scotrail on a trial of similar systems for the rail industry. We will continue to work with transport operators, local authorities and Regional Transport Partnerships to support the creation of a multi-modal smartcard ticket for public transport.

All contract models for the future franchise are being fully explored, including not-for-profit models. Discussions with the Scottish Trades Union Congress and its affiliate rail unions have already taken place as part of the preparatory work currently being undertaken to launch a full consultation exercise on the form and content of the next franchise.

The UK''s membership of the World Trade Organization''s Government Procurement Agreement allows Scottish businesses certain rights to participate in competitive tendering opportunities in those international markets covered by the agreement; withdrawal from the agreement may result in Scottish businesses being denied access to these markets. There are no current plans to urge the UK Government to withdraw from the agreement or to amend it to implement boycotts against other parties to the agreement.