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The update and replacement of Planning Advice Note 63 - Waste Management Planning 2002, will address good practice in development planning and development management across all waste streams. It will include advice on factors such as location, need, public engagement, awareness, infrastructure delivery, operation, monitoring and compliance.

The Scottish Government supports business and industry through a number of avenues to help business and the public sector in Scotland to reduce carbon emissions, improve business efficiency and with carbon management planning. The Carbon Trust have indicated the latest results for 2010-11 show annual savings of at least 284kt CO₂ and £31.8 million in reduced annual energy costs. Our Energy Saving Scotland small business loans scheme offers small and medium enterprises interest-free loans for renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency measures. This scheme paid out over £2.4 million through more than 80 loans during 2010-11.

The Scottish Government is committed to simplifying the landscape for energy and resource efficiency advice to business. We have established a single Scottish Energy and Resource Efficiency Service for business, bringing together key delivery bodies (including Carbon Trust, Energy Saving Trust, Zero Waste Scotland and SEPA), our enterprise agencies and Business Gateway. The new service will provide greater cross-referral, encouraging businesses to consider taking action on energy and wider resource efficiency at the same time.

Scottish Government has been working closely with Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) on the UK Energy Bill. Mr Neil is also a member of the Ministerial Oversight Group set up to facilitate cross government working on the Bill. We have worked to ensure that the UK Bill reflects Scottish interests and that it recognises Scottish devolved areas of responsibility. The UK Energy Bill sets out the framework for the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation policies and we have been working with DECC to ensure that Scotland can implement these in a manner that meets Scotland’s specific circumstances e.g. location, climate, house types etc. A particular priority for us is to ensure that the Green Deal acts to support the Scottish Government's Energy Efficiency Action Plan. We have a member of Scottish Government staff working in DECC to assist with this process.

The information requested is given in Appendix A of the Progress Report on the Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland published by the Scottish Government in February 2011, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib number 53209).

A consultation on the format and content of Scottish energy performance certificates will be carried out later this year. The Scottish Government also contributes to the UK review of the calculation methodologies used to produce energy performance certificates. We intend that any changes arising from this work will be introduced in spring 2012.

Details of the applications made broken down by local authority area are in the following table.

Source: The Energy Saving Trust.

We said in Homes Fit for the 21st Century, our Strategy and Action Plan for Housing in the Next Decade, that we would develop a strategy for sustainable housing in Scotland in 2012. We intend to publish the strategy by the end of 2012.

The Sustainable Housing Strategy Group is a new group convened by the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment. The group will bring together leaders in the sector as champions for emission reduction, housing quality and fuel poverty. It will meet for the first time on 4 October. Minutes of the meeting will be published in due course on the Sustainable Housing section of the Scottish Government website.

We are working with external stakeholders to develop climate change standards as follows:

(a) Domestic Properties

We are discussing with stakeholders the development of a draft climate change standard for social housing beyond the requirements of the current Scottish Housing Quality Standard. We will also develop guidance on appropriate technical measures to be installed in relevant housing types and provide advice on cost implications as well as links to relevant funding streams. A working group, including representatives from the Scottish Government, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, COSLA and individual social landlords is taking this work forward. The working group is expected to draft a standard for public consultation by early 2012 with the new standard to be finalised later that year.

Scottish ministers set out their approach in March 2011 to setting minimum standards for private sector housing and we are developing an action plan to take regulation forward after 2015. This will involve working in partnership with stakeholders.

(b) Business Properties

To assist with the development of the consultation on regulations for existing non-domestic buildings (including business properties), a departmental Working Group made up of representatives from across industry was formed and has met six times. There are both public and private sector members, with a knowledge base covering, technical, legal and operational aspects. The public consultation is intended to be issued in autumn 2011.

The Scottish Government has had many meetings with external stakeholders since May 2007 at which the issues of climate change in relation to a) buildings and b) estates were discussed. It is not possible to identify all the relevant meetings held at both Ministerial and official level. However, a list of some key meetings is provided in the following table.

Table 1 – Meetings with External Stakeholders