- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 24 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations Scottish ministers have made to Scottish Gas following recent price rises and the announcement that the firm intends to levy a £5 fine on customers who pay late, in light of any impact of such actions on vulnerable and low-income families across Scotland.
Answer
My predecessor, Malcolm Chisholm,met with representatives of the three main Scottish energy suppliers late lastyear to discuss rising prices and actions that they are taking to protectvulnerable customers. My officials are in regular dialogue with Scottish Gasand have been assured that vulnerable customers will be exempt from the £5 fineintroduced for late payment of bills.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 24 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review or terminate any existing contracts that its departments or agencies have with Scottish Gas following the company’s recent announcement that it intends to introduce £5 fines for customers who do not pay within 28 days.
Answer
Scottish Gas hold thecontract to manage the central heating programme and the Warm Deal on behalf of the Scottish Executive. I do not intend to review or terminate thiscontract in light of the company’s introduction of fines on customers who arelate in paying bills. Scottish Gas has provided assurance that vulnerablecustomers will not be subject to these fines.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 19 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is in respect of regulations dealing with transportation of puppies and other companion animals.
Answer
EC Regulation 1/2005 is nowin force and it prohibits the commercial transportation of puppies and kittensunder eight weeks of age, unless accompanied by their mother. A consultation ondraft Regulations to require those dealing in puppies and kittens to be licensedby local authorities was issued on 4 December 2006.The consultation period ends on 23 February 2007.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 16 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what restrictions it placed on Eaga in relation to highlighting the number of installations under the Warm Deal programme.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:
In terms of the then managingagent contract, Eaga was set targets for the number of installations and was subjectto budgetary control arrangements.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 16 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive why the number of heating and insulation installations under the Warm Deal programme has fallen significantly in the last two years.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:
The number of central heatingand warm deal installations over the last two full years are shown in the followingtables:
| Year | Central Heating Installations |
| 2004-05 | 13,022 |
| 2005-06 | 14,047 |
The number of Warm Deal measuresinstalled over the last two years has decreased relative to the number of installationsundertake in 2003-04. The figures are shown in the following table:
| Year | Warm Deal Installations |
| 2004-05 | 14,953 |
| 2005-06 | 15,499 |
Both programmes show a year onyear increase.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 16 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive why the number of insulation installations under the Warm Deal are being reduced from 17,700 in the 18 months from April 2005 to less than 3,000 in the 18 months from October 2006.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:
In the 12 months from April 2006to March 2007 the target number of households to benefit from Warm Deal measuresacross all sectors is 17,500, an increase of 2,000 over the corresponding period.We do not, as yet, have a profile of installations for the first six months of 2007-08.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 16 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive why there was a reduction in the number of installations uder the tender for the Warm Deal programme from 6,500 to 3,000 after Scottish Gas was awarded the contract.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:
There has been no reduction inthe number of installations under the Warm Deal programme after Scottish Gas wasawarded the contract. The tender document, provided to Scottish Gas, contains detailson the available Warm Deal budget for 2006-07 and 2007-08. The target number ofinstallations in each year is based on the available resources, the average grantcost and the management fee.
As part of the tender processScottish Gas indicated that, in 2006-07 it would install 3,062 Warm Deal measuresand in 2007-08 it would install 4,976 Warm Deal measures.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 16 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many insulation jobs it estimates will be undertaken under the Warm Deal programme between April 2006 and April 2007.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:
Across all sectors of the housingstock, the estimated number of Warm Deal installations to be undertaken betweenApril 2006 and March 2007 is 17,500.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 16 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what input Scottish Gas had to the decision to reduce the number of insulation installations under the Warm Deal programme after the tender was awarded.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:
On a like-for-like basis thereis no reduction on the number of Warm Deal installations undertaken. The targetnumber of Warm Deal installations to be carried out in 2006-07 and 2007-08 is 5,000.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Des McNulty on 12 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to run down the Warm Deal programme for both insulation and heating installations.
Answer
I have no plans to run down eitherthe Warm Deal or the central heating programme. As I have already announced bothprogrammes will run at least to 2008. Going forward from then, resource allocationto the programmes will be determined by the outcome of the 2007 spending review.
