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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.

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Question reference: S6W-23672

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what economic modelling it has completed to understand how sectoral skills within recycling services for heat pumps will meet future demand.

Question reference: S6W-23662

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22658 by Patrick Harvie on 16 November 2023, what economic modelling it has done to ensure that the recycling sector is prepared for the future potential demand of recycling of units and component parts of (a) gas boiler and (b) heat pumps and other clean heat systems.

Question reference: S6W-23671

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government at what rate it anticipates the servicing sector in relation to clean heat systems to grow.

As uptake of clean heating systems increases, the number of people employed in the sector is expected to increase. The rate of increase required will be driven by consumer demand, which in turn will be driven by a range of different factors including any regulations that are introduced. As we continue to develop our regulatory proposals and wider package of support we will undertake further analysis as required to understand needed growth rates.

Question reference: S6W-23678

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22670 by Patrick Harvie on 16 November 2023, of the number of funding offers that are included in the table, how many progressed to installation, also broken down by local authority area.

Applicants have 9 months from confirmation of a funding offer to arrange and complete installation of the funded measures. Funding offers are only paid once the measure has been installed and a valid claim form and supporting documentation has been submitted to the scheme administrator.

Of the 1,923 heat pump funding offers made through the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme from its launch on 2 December 2022, the number that had completed their installation and been paid by 31 August 2023, broken down by local authority are:

Local Authority Area	Heat Pump funding offers made	Heat Pump funding offers fully paid
Aberdeen City	32	18
Aberdeenshire	144	67
Angus	62	34
Argyll and Bute	218	139
City of Edinburgh	132	71
Clackmannanshire	8	5
Dumfries and Galloway	71	35
Dundee City	21	15
East Ayrshire	25	10
East Dunbartonshire	33	20
East Lothian	45	21
East Renfrewshire	25	12
Falkirk	21	13
Fife	104	65
Glasgow City	36	19
Highland	237	113
Inverclyde	7	3
Midlothian	31	17
Moray	68	30
Na h-Eileanan Siar	37	20
North Ayrshire	28	18
North Lanarkshire	38	24
Orkney Islands	48	21
Perth and Kinross	93	51
Renfrewshire	26	15
Scottish Borders	80	45
Shetland Islands	34	14
South Ayrshire	40	25
South Lanarkshire	75	44
Stirling	45	22
West Dunbartonshire	7	4
West Lothian	52	36
Total	1,923	1,046

Question reference: S6W-23670

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22657 by Patrick Harvie on 16 November 2023, what economic modelling has been completed to understand the potential impact of future demand for servicing of renewable heating solutions on market rates for (a) labour and (b) parts.

No economic modelling has been undertaken. As we continue to engage with the sector, if a need for economic modelling emerges then we will consider it. A key ask of the supply chain has been clarity about scope and timing of regulation which is central to their planning for investment in capacity and skills needed for manufacture, installation and maintenance. This is why we set out our draft proposals on regulation on 28 November.

Question reference: S6W-23684

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22671 by Patrick Harvie on 16 November 2023, whether it will consider collecting information on the number of people in Scotland who are qualified to undertake heat loss surveys.

Question reference: S6W-23666

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria applicants must meet in order to be considered for the rural uplift under the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme.

The Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan scheme is open to all domestic owner-occupied households in Scotland.

The rural uplift to the HES Grant and Loan is available to all island households, as well as households with a rural classification of 7 or 8 within the Scottish Government 8-fold Urban Rural Classification. It is also available to households with a rural classification of 6 if their postcode is registered as off-gas on the Xoserve off-gas list.

Question reference: S6W-23657

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22629 by Patrick Harvie on 16 November 2023, what specific (a) actions and (b) outreach its marketing campaign for the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan scheme consists of.

Question reference: S6W-23663

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22645 by Patrick Harvie on 16 November 2023, how it will determine whether the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme has been successful.

The objective of the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme is to support the installation of energy efficiency and clean heating measures amongst owner occupiers.

We use a number of metrics to monitor the scheme with particular focus on the number and value of grants and loans paid against the schemes allocated budget.

Our approach to monitoring our delivery schemes is set out in our recently published Heat in Buildings Monitoring and Evaluation Framework .

Question reference: S6W-23674

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on the actions outlined in the Heat in Buildings Supply Chains Delivery Plan to date.

We continue to make progress against the actions outlined within the Heat in Buildings Supply Chains Delivery Plan. In November 2022 we launched the Green Heat Innovation Support Programme and the Green Heat Installer Engagement Programme . More recently we fulfilled our commitment to launch a new Mobile Heat Pump Training centre .

Proposals have progressed for a Green Heat Manufacturing Hub following the call issued by Scottish Enterprise in December 2022. A full and final proposal is now in development and is expected in early 2024.

In addition, we continue to explore options for a supplier-led funding scheme, which has the potential to support supply chain growth. We are currently engaging with the clean heat sector to understand appetite for such a scheme and the associated potential barriers and opportunities.