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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 priority for this government. 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 aligned at a local level with business needs and future local demands.

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 making homes warmer and easier to heat. However, ensuring that the fabric of a home is in good condition, and adequately repaired if required, prior to completing insulation works is important.

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 aligned at a local level with business needs and future local demands.

The Renewables Installer Finder tool, funded by Scottish Government, provides information on Microgeneration Certification Scheme certified installers who operate in Scotland and wish to list their information on the tool. The tool can be found at: Renewables Installer Finder (est.org.uk)

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 aligned at a local level with business needs and future local demands. The Scottish Government has funded Energy Saving Trust to develop an Insulation Toolkit to explain the importance of insulation and the likely future demand. It also gives guidance to help installers achieve PAS 2030 certification and become TrustMark registered. This will be launched shortly and will be promoted to stakeholders by Energy Saving Trust.

Funding agreements issued for the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme are between applicants and Energy Savings Trust, who administer the scheme on behalf of the Scottish Government. Funding provided is for the installation of approved measures only.

As a consumer led scheme, the applicant sources the installer and enters into a contract with that organisation. Similarly, any contracts for maintenance and servicing would be for the applicant to arrange.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22629 on 16 November 2023 for information on the full range of the ongoing actions we are taking to raise awareness of our schemes. 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-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The following table sets out the total number of applications approved and paid for the rural uplift in each month from September 2022 to October 2023.

The rural uplift has only been included as part of the HES Grant and Loan Scheme since the launch of the Scheme in December 2022, meaning data only goes back to this date. Four applications from November 2022 received the rural uplift as these had not yet progressed to a formal offer when the rural uplift was introduced.

Payments are often made in the months following an approved application, which means that the number of applications approved in a month will not be equal to the number of applications paid in a month.

There is no requirement for energy efficiency businesses to be registered. Businesses may become TrustMark registered and information on these businesses is available on the TrustMark website.

The Scottish Government does not hold or have access to information on how many students have completed specific energy efficiency qualifications or where they are currently working. As energy efficiency would typically form part of a wider course syllabus for a diverse range of qualifications including engineering, technology, science and construction, the Scottish Government is unable to identify which courses include an energy efficiency component and therefore does not have the information required to answer the question accurately.