Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27669 on 8 October 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27676 on 8 October 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.

Energy Saving Trust has undertaken and is planning a range of activity to market the Energy Assistance Package including a number of different direct mailings. The rising number of callers in each month to date is given in the following table.

	Enquiries to ESSacs about EAP
April	1,967
May	2,071
June	2,347
July	3,147
August	5,101
Total	14,633

 

Yes. The Energy Saving Trust is responsible for the overall management and delivery of the Home Insulation Scheme, under terms and conditions prescribed by Scottish ministers. low

The Energy Assistance Package offers a range of services and products to help tackle fuel poverty through improving energy efficiency, reducing fuel bills and maximising incomes. The package is not intended to bring properties up to a benchmark standard of energy efficiency as in the case of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. The package directs government resources to helping those most likely to be in fuel poverty, targeting enhanced physical measures at those on the lowest incomes living in the least energy efficient homes (sap 38 or below). The sap rating of homes receiving stage four measures to date have increased by an average of 49 points.

Scottish ministers have put in place governance arrangements with Energy Saving Trust for delivery of the Energy Assistance Package and Home Insulation Scheme. EST are responsible for delivering energy efficiency advice, managing the customer journey and referrals under EAP and share responsibility with other delivery partners for successful delivery of the package as a whole.

The terms and conditions under which the Energy Saving Trust is expected to operate in delivering the Home Insulation Scheme, and details of the service to be provided, are outlined in the grant offer letter issued by the Scottish Government.

Scottish ministers have asked the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum to monitor implementation of the Energy Assistance Package and Home Insulation Scheme.

I refer the member to the answer to the answer to question S3W-27661 on 8 October 2009 which sets out how the total grant funding for the scheme is allocated. 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.

A minimum of £9.1 million of government funding will be available for those Home Insulation Scheme measures which need to be the subject of a procurement exercise. That exercise will also be how the bulk of additional contributions to the scheme over and above the government''s £15 million contribution are levered.

The Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) advert excludes VAT as required by OJEU procedures, which is why the figure included in the advert differs from that in the grant offer letter.

The Energy Assistance Package (EAP) is delivered through a Scottish Government partnership with 10 primary delivery partners. These are: Energy Saving Trust; managing agent for stage 4 (currently Scottish Gas); Citizens Advice Direct; Pensions Service; Scottish Gas (CERT provider); Scottish Power (CERT provider); Scottish and Southern (CERT provider); EDF (Cert Provider); Eon (CERT provider), and nPower (CERT provider).

Energy Saving Trust manage the overall EAP programme and deliver energy efficiency advice through the Energy Saving Scotland Advice Network. Stage 2 is delivered through referrals by EST to the Pensions Service and Citizens Advice Direct. EST refer stage 3 work to CERT providers and stage 4 to the managing agent. It is a matter for CERT providers and the managing agent whether they carry out work themselves or subcontract to other companies; however we understand that a number of large and small companies are used. The Scottish Government believes that all work should be tendered in a fair and transparent way that complies with EU procurement guidance and supports small businesses to be able to compete for work.

The Energy Assistance Package is a holistic approach to tackling fuel poverty that addresses both the home and householder, and includes services to maximise income, reduce fuel bills and improve energy efficiency. Stage 4 of the package offers a menu of enhanced physical measures to groups most likely to be fuel poor including central heating.

For Energy Assistance Package applicants who had completed Stage 4 by the end of August, the managing agent has indicated that it took an average of 86 days from initial contact with the Energy Saving Scotland advice centre to completed installation of measures. For legacy, central heating programme applicants who received an installation between 6 April and 31 August 2009, it had taken an average of 119 days from application to installation.

The average time for all installations under the central heating programme during 2008-09 was five months (151 days), compared to earlier years that had usually averaged around six months.

We have no plans to limit the number of GPs prescribing to patients in care homes.

Any GP of an individual practice in Scotland, where a patient has their name on the list, is required to prescribe for the patient as appropriate. Should it be deemed necessary for a patient to change practices, it would be for the appropriate health board to take action to ensure the patient is placed on another practice list.