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It is estimated that the cost of the development, implementation, administration and marketing, including publicity and promotion, of the Home Insulation Scheme, by the managing agent for the scheme, the Energy Saving Trust, will be approximately £5.5 million. This funding will provide for a combination of direct delivery of services, including doorstep visits, data collection and tailored energy advice to up to 100,000 households, and management of the delivery of energy efficiency measures by third parties.

The bulk of the remaining funding has been allocated for the provision of energy efficiency measures which will include the cost of both insulation materials and labour costs to install insulation. This will include funding to cover additional costs in island areas. A small proportion of the overall funding will be used for scheme evaluation.

The areas in which the Home Insulation Scheme will be deployed in 2010-11 have not yet been selected.

At this stage it is not possible to estimate what the expected total householder contribution will be to measures part-funded by the Home Insulation Scheme (HIS) in 2009-10. The householder contribution will depend on factors such as the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target offer for able to pay households that it is possible to secure as part of the procurement process. When HIS is fully underway and data is being collected for monitoring and evaluation purposes it will be possible to provide more informed estimates.

All households within Home Insulation Scheme areas are eligible to receive insulation measures either free, or at a reduced cost compared to the normal market cost of installation, providing that their house is suitable for the relevant measure. While able-to-pay households will receive insulation at reduced cost, they will be required to make a financial contribution to the costs of installation, if they wish to receive the measures. The Energy Saving Trust, as managing agent, is currently carrying out a procurement exercise to appoint the supplier offering the best deal for HIS customers in a given area. The level of householder contribution will be determined by the outcome of a procurement exercise which is not yet complete.

Eligibility for free insulation measures will be similar to that applied by the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target scheme, which focuses on benefit entitlement, but also includes the over-70s as a priority group.

The first insulation installations under the Home Insulation Scheme are expected to be carried out in early December 2009.

Marketing of the Home Insulation Scheme is due to begin in late September 2009 to raise awareness within the participating areas. A publicity campaign will launch in early November and will last for the duration of the first phase, until 31 March 2010.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27384 on 24 September 2009. 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

Contributions to the Home Insulation Scheme, which will be in addition to the £15 million allocated by the Scottish Government, will be delivered mainly from Carbon Emissions Reduction Target activity and owner contributions. The amount of investment contributed from these sources will depend on factors such as the uptake of measures under the first phase of the scheme, which will cover around 100,000 homes.

Complementary investment will also be provided from local councils and other local partners in the selected areas. Complementary investment from some of the local councils selected for the first phase of the Home Insulation Scheme is subject to final confirmation and approval. However, at this stage, our provisional estimate is that in the region of £750,000 of complementary investment will be contributed from local agencies.

Home Insulation Scheme (HIS) assessors are due to begin visits to every house in a HIS area in early November, with the exception of those households who have previously responded by other means such as in response to a direct mailing. It is not possible at this stage to accurately estimate the number of visits which will be made by the end of 2009. Our planning and funding framework is based on financial years, i.e. 2009-10 for the first phase. When HIS is underway and data is collected for monitoring and evaluation purposes it will be possible to provide more informed estimates.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27367 on 24 September 2009. 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.