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We will report on the progress on energy efficiency and microgeneration across all programmes and initiatives, across all Directorates, including relevant milestones, targets and anticipated carbon savings as part of the mandatory energy efficiency action plan for Scotland, proposed under the Scottish Climate Change Bill.

Specific Scottish Government targets already set include:

(a). For new buildings, we have set targets to limit both the carbon emissions and energy demand through the building standards system. Scottish standards are currently the most demanding in the UK. A further review of these standards is presently underway, investigating improvements recommended in The Sullivan Report “ A low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland.

(b). We have set a target in the social housing sector that, by 2015, all properties should have cavity wall insulation, water tank and pipe insulation and at least 100mm of loft insulation (where these measures are technically feasible in the property). All social rented properties should also, by 2015, have a full, efficient central heating system and a National Home Energy Rating score of at least five.

In addition, from 1 April 2009, houses in all tenures will require to have satisfactory thermal insulation in order to fulfil the requirements of the tolerable standard, which is the minimum standard which all houses must meet.

The most recent Scottish House Condition Survey showed that 50 per cent of dwellings were rated good in terms of energy efficiency on the National Home Energy Rating scale, one of the methodologies used for measuring energy efficiency. This demonstrates a continuation of the upwards trend, from 31 per cent in 2002 to 40 per cent in 2003-04, 44 per cent in 2004-05 and 47 per cent in 2005-06. Just 4 per cent of dwellings were rated poor.

However, more needs to be done to continue to improve energy efficiency and increase the uptake of microgeneration across Scotland. We will address this through the introduction of the mandatory energy efficiency action plan, proposed under the Scottish Climate Change Bill. This will report on the progress of improvements, including relevant milestones, targets and anticipated carbon savings.

Work on data sets to monitor future energy use, to complement existing information, continues to develop. Since the Scottish Government''s response to the strategy consultation was published in June 2008, a number of new reports have been issued. These include Volume 5 of the Scottish Energy Study, published in November 2008, which includes projections of energy demand, supply and carbon emissions up to the period 2020. This includes data from 2002 as a baseline and complements earlier volumes of the study to allow assessment of changes in the level of energy and carbon usage to be monitored.

A report was also published in November which assessed a range of possible policy options which could be considered in order to meet the ambitious target of an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.

We are continuing to consider what further data is required as part of the process of monitoring future change. For example, we will monitor the change in emissions from Scottish Government policies.

We have included a mandatory provision within our ambitious Climate Change Bill to introduce an energy efficiency action plan for Scotland within one year of the Bill coming into force. We will publish an outline of the action plan in Spring 2009 and will publish the final plan when the Bill becomes an Act.

Since the opening of the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) “ Regional Priorities (RP) in April 2008, we have received 4,447 statement of intent submissions by 31 December 2008. The monthly submission profile is detailed in the following table.

Month	SoI Submissions
April	255
May	364
June	613
July	754
August	609
September	613
October	632
November	368
December	239
Total	4,447

 

When a SoI is assessed, a RED or AMBER rating is given based on Case Officer assessment. Rural Priorities is administered in a regional basis via Regional Project Assessment Committees (RPAC). The statistics currently available to The Scottish Government are based on this regional structure. The breakdown per RPAC region of SoI submission and assessment given is detailed in the following table.

RPAC Region	SoI Received	SoI Amber	SoI Red	SoI at Assessment
Argyll	447	295	119	33
Ayrshire	251	143	53	55
Borders	428	316	99	13
Clyde Valley	168	98	35	35
Dumfries and Galloway	443	276	130	37
Forth	328	219	77	32
Grampian	1052	706	257	89
Highland	607	419	138	50
Northern Isles	268	172	59	37
Out Hebrides	95	57	21	17
Tayside	360	223	96	41

 

Spending on new projects under Rural Priorities could not begin until after the Scotland Rural Development Programme 2007-13 was approved by the European Commission earlier this year. The programme as approved fixes budgets by measure, for example those for supporting new entrants or for agri-environment payments and not by the delivery mechanism, such as Rural Priorities or Land Manager''s Options. The balance of expenditures between delivery mechanisms will be kept under review by the Scottish Government and the statutory Programme Monitoring Committee.

I set up an independent review of the EU Agricultural Subsidy appeals procedure in November 2007. Following extensive consultation and assessment of the current process I received the Report A review of the European Union Agricultural Subsidy Appeals Procedure in Scotland on 4 November which I have now carefully considered.

I have accepted sixteen of the seventeen recommendations made by the review team led by former NFU President John Kinnaird including the principle of an independent appeals procedure.

Work has now begun on implementing the recommendations we are able to accept. I have asked officials to explore how an independent appeals process can be best delivered and to examine the options including extending the remit of an existing organisation or by part of government.

I plan to introduce changes as soon as possible in 2009.

I received the Report A review of the European Union Agricultural Subsidy Appeals Procedure in Scotland on 4 November which I have carefully considered.

I have accepted 16 of the 17 recommendations made by the review team led by former NFU President John Kinnaird including the principle of an independent appeals procedure.

Work has now begun on implementing the recommendations we are able to accept. I have asked officials to explore how an independent appeals process can be best delivered and to examine the options including extending the remit of an existing organisation or by part of government.

This PQ was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0108-01.htm

I wrote to stakeholders on 16 December providing an update on our plans for quota management and licensing in Scotland. This set out in broad terms our plans to have a phased implementation of quota and licensing arrangements in Scotland during 2009. A report summarising the views received to the consultation was also released at this time.

Due to the focus on the very important year end fisheries negotiations, I considered it sensible to delay final decisions until early in 2009. An interim outcome of consultation report setting out the Scottish Government initial response to the consultation will be issued in January. Following a short period of consultation, measures to be adopted under a Scottish quota and licensing system will then be set out in a final outcome report.