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Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme

The following table sets out the number of households who have received funding through the HES Grant and Loan Scheme (formerly HES Loan and Cashback Scheme) for solar PV/energy storage systems where not installed with a certified renewable heating or energy efficiency measure. These figures include instances where solar PV/energy storage systems have been installed alongside an existing renewable heating system.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19607 on 28 July 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-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The requested figures for live applications for loans for standalone solar PV/energy storage systems not being installed as part of a package including a certified renewable heating system are set out in the following table. These applications were submitted prior to the change in funding on 27 June 2023, and are being processed by Energy Saving Trust, the scheme administrator.

The Scottish Government is committed to a just transition to net zero, which means working with people, businesses and communities across Scotland to ensure they can access support and advice, and that the costs and benefits of the transition are spread fairly.

Our Public Engagement Strategy for Climate Change sets out our vision: for all of Scotland to understand the challenges we face and embrace their role in our transition to a net zero and climate ready Scotland. Our people-centred approach to climate change policy, moves from encouraging incremental changes in attitudes and behaviours, to supporting a society-wide transformation.

Of particular relevance to SMEs, this year we will publish our new Heat in Buildings Public Engagement Strategy setting out how we will work with a range of partners and wider trusted messengers to increase awareness and understanding of Scotland’s net zero ambitions and associated heat decarbonisation targets with the public and organisations alike. This will include explaining what these changes will mean for property owners on the ground, and how they can access existing advice and support.

The Scottish Government currently funds a substantial service for SMEs to receive advice on reducing their energy costs, installing energy efficiency and renewable heating measures through Business Energy Scotland. In October, we increased the funding available in the SME Loan scheme where SMEs can now apply for a £20,000 cashback grant for energy efficiency measures up to 75% of the cost of the installation.

I have kept Ministerial colleagues fully informed of progress on the deposit return scheme through the normal internal processes. Internal party leadership elections are a matter for the relevant parties themselves.

Information on data quality will be included as part of the first release in autumn 2023.

The changes to the methods for producing census estimates have not fundamentally changed the way in which NRS is quality assuring and validating the data before publication.

Professor James Brown, Professor of Official Statistics Sydney, Chair of the International Steering Group noted: “Decisions were made on a sound methodological basis, providing NRS with a strong position for the statistical processing phase.”

In their Statistical Quality Assurance Strategy , NRS made a distinction between quality assurance at every step of the census data processing journey and validation of final estimates. By assessing quality at each step, NRS can be confident that errors are not being introduced while processing the data.

The first release of census data will be in autumn 2023. This release will include:

• Population by age and sex at Scotland and Local Authority level (rounded)
• Number of households at Scotland and Local Authority level (rounded)

Up to date information on future releases can be found on the census outputs schedule webpage .

In line with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Statistics, National Records of Scotland will publish the specific release date and time for each publication at least four weeks in advance.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-16442 on 3 May 2023 and question S6W-19380 on 11 July 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-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Regulatory policy officials are in regular contact with the GDC and The Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care is scheduled to meet with the regulator's Chair and Chief Executive in early September.

Officials work closely with their counterparts in the Department for Health and Social Care and I myself have recently written to UK Government Ministers, with an offer to work together to explore how we can improve the take-up of overseas applicants across the four countries of the UK.

In terms of action taken this far in addressing the backlog of applicants, this Parliament agreed on Wednesday 25 January 2023 that the Dentists, Dental Care Professionals, Nurses, Nursing Associates and Midwives (International Registrations) Order 2022 be approved, with it subsequently coming into force on 8 March 2023.

This UK Statutory Instrument gives the General Dental Council (GDC) powers to amend international routes into registration without the approval of the Privy Council, subject to consulting on proposed changes. The GDC launched such a consultation on 4 July 2023 with proposals to enable registration processes to continue to be effective for internationally qualified dental professionals in the medium term, and plans to consult again in due course on longer term arrangements.

In its immediate response to the current demand for the Overseas Registration Examination (ORE), the GDC announced on 16 May 2023 that it has worked with its providers to triple the number of places available for Part 1 of the ORE from 200 to 600, and has committed to maintaining that additional capacity into 2024.

We will continue to work closely with the GDC, UK Government and other stakeholders, to assist wherever possible in smoothing the path of international dental graduates into UK practice.

The Scottish Government regularly discusses net zero policy and progress towards targets with the UK Government. The primary vehicle for our engagement with the UK Government is the Net Zero Inter-ministerial Group (IMG), which meets regularly and involves all four governments of the UK. In the last year, the Net Zero IMG has met on 26 October 2022, 27 April 2023 and 28 June 2023.

Furthermore, the Scottish Government regularly corresponds with the UK Government regarding net zero issues to assure continued progress in achieving our gas emission targets. For example, I recently wrote to the Secretary of State for Transport, on 12 July 2023 to highlight the role Scotland could play in the production of Sustainable Aviation (SAF) - which could help to significantly reduce emissions - and to ask whether the UK Government intends to provide a form of price support mechanism for the substantially higher costs of SAF. Likewise, the Circular Economy Minister recently met with the Minister for Environmental Quality and Resilience in June 2023 to discuss the future of deposit return schemes (DRS) across the UK following the UK Government’s decision to refuse an exemption for Scotland’s DRS from the Internal Market Act.

Throughout our engagement with the UK Government, the Scottish Government continually advocates for the greater ambition required in reserved areas in order for both UK and Scottish emissions targets to be met. The Scottish Government agrees with the Climate Change Committee’s recent UK progress report, which emphasises that greater urgency is required from the UK Government if emissions targets for 2030 and beyond are to be met. We support the Committee’s calls for further and faster UK Government action in a range of crucial reserved areas such as hydrogen, electricity grid upgrades and decarbonisation of the gas network. We will continue to press for more ambitious action in these areas in our discussions with the UK Government.