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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: S6W-24078

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 17 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many people are (a) directly and (b) indirectly employed within the thermal insulation sector.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The Office for National Statistics, Broad Industry Group Region by broad industry group (Standard Industrial Classification) – Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES): Table 4 - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) , provides annual data for employee and employment estimates working in construction areas in Scotland including insulation work (water, heat, sound). The most recent data was published on 25 October 2023.

Question reference: S6W-24076

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 17 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the 2022 ClimateXChange report, Clean Heat and Energy Efficiency Workforce Assessment, which scenario the Scottish economy is currently tracking in terms of uptake of thermal insulation measures.

Question reference: S6W-24071

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 17 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of rural homes it anticipates have the potential to access district heating networks under the current proposals within its consultation on a Heat in Buildings Bill.

The First National Assessment of Potential Heat Network Zones (2022) found that up to 340,000 homes may be located in areas suitable for heat networks in future. This included over 11,000 homes in rural areas, and more information can be found in the First National Assessment here: First National Assessment of Potential Heat Network Zones (www.gov.scot)

Local authorities finalising their Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (LHEES), which will identify heat network opportunities across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-24050

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 17 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to developing specific training within colleges and universities to develop skills in the delivery of heat networks.

Question reference: S6W-24068

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 17 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to energy efficiency SMEs to (a) identify and (b) apply for support to upskill or re-skill their current workforce.

Question reference: S6W-24062

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 12 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when the Scottish House Condition Survey 2022 will be published.

Question reference: S6W-24063

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 12 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish House Condition Survey not taking account of low carbon heating technologies in domestic buildings, such as heat pumps and solar, what consideration it has given to including such types of heating systems in the Scottish House Condition Survey in the future.

The Scottish House Conditions survey already accounts for and records the presence of low carbon heating technologies including heat pumps and solar panels.

The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) consists of an interview with householders and a physical inspection of the dwelling they occupy, which provides a picture of Scotland's occupied housing stock. It covers all types of households and dwellings across the country - whether owned or rented, flats or houses. The physical data about the dwelling is recorded by surveyors trained to collect detailed information on housing characteristics.

The presence of a heat pump is collected in the survey through question M2 in the SHCS physical survey form , which records the main form of heating in the dwelling. This question will also record the presence of other low carbon heating technologies including other electric heating sources, and community heating. The type of heat pump (if present) is then recorded in question M11.

The SHCS also collects data on if a dwelling is suitable for solar panels or solar photovoltaics (PV), and if they have been installed through question D7 of the survey SHCS physical survey form , with questions D8 and D9 recording the percentage of the roof which is covered by solar PV and/ or solar panels respectively.

The SHCS key findings report has not previously included figures on the number of dwellings with heat pumps or solar panels / PV, due to their limited prevalence in the dwelling stock, but this can be added to future reports. Both are accounted for in our measurements of EPC’s, modelled energy use, energy costs, and fuel poverty calculations. Additionally, this data is included in the SHCS dataset on the UK Data Archive . We have included the estimated number of dwellings and percentage of all dwellings with a heat pump in table 1, and solar panels, solar PV, or both installed in table 2.

As the 2020 SHCS was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic and results from the 2021 External+ SHCS were published as experimental statistics the 2019 SHCS provides the most recent official statistics on heating systems and solar panels / PV. Results from the 2022 SHCS have been pre-announced for publication in February 2024.

Table 1: Estimated number of dwellings and percentage of all dwellings with a heat pump (2019).

Total Dwellings with a heat pump	% of all dwellings
21,000	0.8%

Table 2: Estimate number of and percentage of all dwellings with solar panels, solar PV, or both installed (2019).

Total Dwellings with solar panels and/ or PV	% of all dwellings
74,000	3.0%

Notes

1. Source Scottish House Condition Survey 2019

2. The SHCS is a sample survey and therefore all figures are estimates which lie at the midpoint of a confidence interval which depends primarily on sample size.

Question reference: S6W-24059

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to present Scotland as an attractive location to open businesses within the renewable tourism sector.

Question reference: S6O-02973

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how its fiscal policies support the development and growth of the rural economy.

Question reference: S6W-24080

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken regarding any impact of an aging ferry fleet on the levels of freight weight capacity on each route.