Parliamentary questions

Brian Whittle

810 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

4 Dec 2023 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to address the impacts of obesity and excess weight on the Scottish economy and NHS.

29 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to local authority planning teams for continuing professional development (CPD) and training in new technologies, such as renewables.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Through the Onshore Wind Sector Deal, the Scottish Government and the onshore wind industry have committed to work together to increase skills and resources and streamline approaches to process the expected pipeline of onshore wind Section 36 applications. A…

22 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the policy papers that it has published with an associated easy read version since January 2022.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government has published 198 Easy Read documents on the gov.scot website since January 2022. The list of the policy papers that have been published with an associated easy read version is available on the Scottish Government website at https://w…

16 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for (a) private residential homeowners, (b) housing associations, (c) businesses and (d) commercial building landlords to replace inefficient double glazed windows and doors with a U-value of 2.8 to 3.2 that were installed before 2002.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Scottish Government does not provide funding for residential homeowners to replace existing double glazing. Funding through our domestic Heat in Buildings schemes is prioritised for energy efficiency measures which provide comparatively better energy use …

16 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for (a) private residential homeowners, (b) housing associations, (c) businesses and (d) commercial building landlords to replace double glazed windows and doors with triple glazing.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Scottish Government does not provide funding for residential homeowners to upgrade double glazing to triple glazing. Funding through our domestic Heat in Buildings funding schemes are prioritised for energy efficiency measures which provide comparatively …

16 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for (a) private residential homeowners, (b) housing associations, (c) businesses, and (d) commercial building landlords to replace single glazed windows and doors with double glazing.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: Through the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme, the Scottish Government currently provides up to £8,000 in interest free loan funding for private residential homeowners to upgrade single glazing to double glazing or to install secondary glazing. Homeo…

14 Nov 2023 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body when the most recent energy efficiency assessment of the Scottish Parliament building was completed, and what the results were.

Answer · Maggie Chapman (on Behalf of the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body): The Parliament’s Energy Performance Certificate was last updated in 2019 and is renewed every 10 years. The Energy Performance Certificate is displayed at the Visitors Desk and is available on the Parliament’s website. The Parliament achieved a C rating which…

14 Nov 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the development of hydrogen fuelling infrastructure for use by heavy goods vehicles and other roadgoing heavy machinery.

8 Nov 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact that preventable illnesses have on the Scottish economy.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government has drawn from a range of sources including the Labour Force Survey, the Fraser of Allander Institute and ONS’ Labour Market Statistics as part of its consideration of the impact of preventable illness and long term conditions on the S…

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for homes seeking to install renewable heating systems, but for which current renewable solutions are technically unsuitable for retrofitting on their current heating system in a way that can provide both heating and hot water, in a whole-house heating system.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: Our Heat in Buildings Strategy recognises that some properties may have fewer technology options available as a result of location and property type, impact on the fabric of historic buildings and electricity grid capacity. The cost of converting to a clean …

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the importance of ensuring that the fabric of homes is repaired prior to completing insultation works.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Scottish Government remains committed to its fabric first approach, set out in our Heat in Buildings Strategy, which prioritises improving the energy efficiency of Scotland’s homes. This is critical to the heat transition, reducing demand for energy, and …

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of the current supply chain for heat pump maintenance, including (a) parts, (b) labour and (c) its ability to grow to meet any increasing demand.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The pace of the Heat in Buildings transition requires a substantial growth in supply chains, including heat pump installation and maintenance. Supporting Scotland’s current and future workforce to develop the skills needed for the net zero transition is a pri…

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of future demand for servicing of renewable heating solutions on market rates for (a) labour and (b) parts.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: Our Heat in Buildings Supply Chains Delivery Plan sets out practical steps that we will take to support the growth of the green heat sector We continue to work in partnership with the sector to ensure that the appropriate support and training provision are al…

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its publication, Heat in Buildings: progress report 2023, how much funding was available for the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme, and what the total spend in the form of grants and loans was, in the 2022-23 financial year.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: For the budget and spend relating to the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme (formerly HES Loan and Cashback) in 2023-23, please see the following: Budget allocation – I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13676 on 19 January 2023. Budget …

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide (a) further information on the demographics of the 1,900 funding offers through the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme since its launch in August 2023 and (b) a breakdown by (i) the age of applicants, (ii) the median household income of applicants and (iii…

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme was launched in December 2022. The figures provided show the number of heat pump funding offers issued between this launch date and the end of August 2023. The Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme is…

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to creating a funding scheme to assist with ongoing maintenance costs of renewable heating solutions installed under the current government capital support schemes for (a) housing associations, (b) private homeowners and (c) landlords.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The purpose of the current capital support schemes is to offer applicants funding to support the installation of energy efficiency measures and zero emissions heating. We recognise that our supply chains will have to grow substantially to meet the future dem…

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide (a) further information on the demographics of the 6,000 applications to the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme since its launch in August 2023 and (b) a breakdown by (i) the age of applicants, (ii) the median household income of applicants and (iii) local…

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme was launched in December 2022. The figures provided show the demographic between this launch date and the end of August 2023. The scheme is open to all domestic owner occupied households in Scotland, and t…

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported statements from industry that current funding for energy efficiency retrofit projects needs to be more flexible and distributed from fewer sources.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Scottish Government runs a number of targeted delivery programmes which are tailored to the needs of the specific sector they are aimed at. We continue to evolve and adapt these schemes to ensure that the outcomes delivered by the scheme can be maximised …

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prepare future supply chains for heat pump maintenance, including in relation to (a) parts and (b) labour.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: I refer the member to the answer in question S6W-22666 on 16 November 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-commit…

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a survey by the Chartered Institute of Building, which reportedly found that 39% of respondents had not heard about Home Energy Scotland schemes.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22629 on 16 November 2023 for information on a full range of ongoing actions we are taking to raise awareness of our schemes. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's web…

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many students are currently pursuing energy efficiency qualifications.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government does not hold or have access to information on the number of students currently pursuing specific energy efficiency qualifications. As energy efficiency would typically form part of a wider course syllabus for a diverse range of qualif…

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people there are in Scotland who are qualified to undertake heat loss surveys, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: A range of skills will be required to deliver the transition to clean heat. Our Heat in Buildings Supply Chains Delivery Plan sets out practical steps that we will take to support the growth of the green heat sector. We continue to work in partnership with t…

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of existing recycling services for heat pumps, and what steps it is taking to ensure that the sector is prepared for future demand.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: All the current means of heating homes and buildings require replacement and recycling of units and component parts, and this will continue to be the case.

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number of registered heat pump installation businesses in Scotland, and how many qualify as SMEs.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: There is no requirement for heat pump installation businesses to be registered. The Renewables Installer Finder tool, funded by Scottish Government, provides information on Microgeneration Certification Scheme certified installers who operate in Scotland and …

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21208 by Patrick Harvie on 26 September 2023, what the (a) smallest, (b) median and (c) largest (i) grant and (ii) loan issued under the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme was in the period from September 2022 to date, broken down by (A) …

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme is available to all domestic owner occupied households in Scotland, therefore data on household income and council tax band are not collected during the application process. In the following table, the data reque…

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications in total for loans or grants for energy efficiency measures or clean heating systems were approved in the 2022-23 financial year.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The following table sets out the number of applications approved for energy efficiency measures and clean heating systems for the financial year 2022-23. The figures include data from the Home Energy Scotland Loan and Cashback Scheme, which operated until Dec…

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the current construction skills landscape, and what plans it has to target and develop particular sectors within the construction industry based on any such assessment.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: As part of the development of our Just Transition Plans, we are assessing how best to support workers and businesses in upskilling and reskilling, as well as attracting new talent into the workforce. Our Just Transition Plan for the Built Environment and Cons…

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the importance of ensuring that homes are insulated to standard prior to completing any installation of renewable heating systems.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: We will shortly consult on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill. This will include proposals to set a minimum energy efficiency standard for homes in Scotland - ensuring they are better insulated and driving down emissions to meet our targets.

1 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what key performance indicators it uses to measure the success of the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme, in terms of the improvements to energy efficiency delivered by funded works.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme offers homeowners in Scotland a grant, interest free loan or a combination of both to support the installation of energy efficiency measures and zero direct emission heating. Energy efficiency measures fun…