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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S4W-02926

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to strengthen guidance for local housing strategies on the promotion of energy efficiency and whether it will make this guidance statutory.

In March this year the Scottish Government and COSLA issued Supplementary Guidance on Addressing Climate Change in Local Housing Strategies (LHS). It provides advice to local authorities on how to address climate change in their LHS to help them meet the duties they have as public bodies under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, set out the financial and other resources available to assist them, and signposted sources of technical information and advice. It stressed the need to integrate their approach to the promotion of energy efficiency with related strategies on house condition and fuel poverty.

The Scottish Government's approach is to recognise and seek to build on the strong track record of Scottish local authorities in developing strategies and implementing programmes in this area. We will continue to work closely with councils to monitor the effectiveness of the guidance, share best practice, and identify areas for improvement.

Question reference: S4W-02925

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider placing a duty on local authorities to set targets for, and report on, carbon emissions reductions and fuel poverty eradication in all housing in their area once the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 is repealed.

Question reference: S4W-02927

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to review the effectiveness of the repeal of the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 in order to monitor whether voluntary arrangements are sufficient to ensure that local authorities are reducing carbon emissions and fuel poverty in all housing in their area.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02925 on 24 October 2011. Local housing strategies require local action on fuel poverty to be addressed and these are reviewed by Scottish Government. The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 places duties on public bodies relating to climate change. These duties require that a public body must, in exercising its functions, act in the way best calculated to contribute to delivery of the act’s emission reduction targets. This provides a robust framework to monitor the effectiveness of local action on climate change.

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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4O-00292

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the 20,000 socially rented homes that were announced by the Minister for Housing and Transport on 6 October 2011 will be built in Edinburgh.

Question reference: S4W-03005

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a substantive answer to question S4W-02238, which has received a holding answer.

Question reference: S4W-03038

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 18 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the 2016 energy standards in building regulations in 2013, as recommended in A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland (The Sullivan Report).

Question reference: S4W-03041

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 18 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers the impact on the construction industry's ability to accurately predict costs will be of announcing a target carbon dioxide emissions reduction from changes to energy standards in building regulations without publishing the standards that will achieve that reduction.

We consider that intimating the high level emissions reduction percentage around 16 months before the standards come into effect is more useful to industry. This is done after the latest research is carried out, part-way through the review cycle and is supported by a public consultation providing examples of how it is proposed such reductions are achieved. This approach better reflects the current position of the industry, new technological advances and energy costs.

Question reference: S4W-03039

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 18 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has assessed the impact that a failure to comply with the recommendation in A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland (The Sullivan Report) regarding the publication of energy standards in building regulations may have on building firms and others in the construction industry.

We have considered the recommendation that “future standards be set in advance”. We believe there is greater benefit in the approach currently taken, which signals the high level emissions reduction percentage around 16 months before the standards come into effect. There are similar agendas throughout the UK and it is useful for industry if the different administrations can harmonise on certain technical areas before detailed measures come into effect.

Question reference: S4W-03043

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 18 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has formed a working party to consider the (a) 2013 and (b) 2016 changes to energy standards in building regulations and, if so, when it (i) has met and (ii) will report.

Question reference: S4W-03037

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 18 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it published the 2013 energy standards in building regulations in 2010, as recommended in A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland (The Sullivan Report).