Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27669 on 8 October 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27669 on 8 October 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

An additional £3.7 million is being provided to Energy Saving Trust this year to manage the Energy Assistance Package (EAP). This covers costs of providing direct advice and support to clients, costs of liaising with other EAP delivery partners, including data transfers and reporting on outcomes, and national and local marketing.

Details of the funding to the Energy Saving Trust, as managing agent for the Home Insulation Scheme, are provided in the answers to S3W-27661 and S3W-27664 on 8 October 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27669 on 8 October 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The Energy Assistance Package offers a range of services and products to help tackle fuel poverty through improving energy efficiency, reducing fuel bills and maximising incomes. The package is not intended to bring properties up to a benchmark standard of energy efficiency as in the case of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. The package directs government resources to helping those most likely to be in fuel poverty, targeting enhanced physical measures at those on the lowest incomes living in the least energy efficient homes (sap 38 or below). The sap rating of homes receiving stage four measures to date have increased by an average of 49 points.

Yes. The Energy Saving Trust is responsible for the overall management and delivery of the Home Insulation Scheme, under terms and conditions prescribed by Scottish ministers. low

Scottish ministers have put in place governance arrangements with Energy Saving Trust for delivery of the Energy Assistance Package and Home Insulation Scheme. EST are responsible for delivering energy efficiency advice, managing the customer journey and referrals under EAP and share responsibility with other delivery partners for successful delivery of the package as a whole.

The terms and conditions under which the Energy Saving Trust is expected to operate in delivering the Home Insulation Scheme, and details of the service to be provided, are outlined in the grant offer letter issued by the Scottish Government.

Scottish ministers have asked the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum to monitor implementation of the Energy Assistance Package and Home Insulation Scheme.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27676 on 8 October 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The Energy Assistance Package is a holistic approach to tackling fuel poverty that addresses both the home and householder, and includes services to maximise income, reduce fuel bills and improve energy efficiency. Stage 4 of the package offers a menu of enhanced physical measures to groups most likely to be fuel poor including central heating.

For Energy Assistance Package applicants who had completed Stage 4 by the end of August, the managing agent has indicated that it took an average of 86 days from initial contact with the Energy Saving Scotland advice centre to completed installation of measures. For legacy, central heating programme applicants who received an installation between 6 April and 31 August 2009, it had taken an average of 119 days from application to installation.

The average time for all installations under the central heating programme during 2008-09 was five months (151 days), compared to earlier years that had usually averaged around six months.

Following publication of the report, all NHS board chairs and chief executives were asked to review the content of the NHS QIS report and ensure the lessons learned were considered in the context of their own NHS board. This was followed up with visits by Scottish Government Health Directorates officials to all boards to review progress against implementation of the Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) National Action Plan, introduced following the outbreak of Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital last year.

The Scottish Government Health Directorates has also agreed that NHS QIS undertake follow-up visits in December 2009 to assess the progress made by NHS Orkney, NHS Grampian and NHS Highland with implementation of the actions detailed in the report.

Whilst not directly linked to the NHS QIS report, the new Care Environment Inspectorate will be visiting every acute hospital at least once over the next three years and will also undertake unannounced inspections. Their focus will be to reduce the HAI risk to patients through a rigorous inspection framework that will specifically focus on providing assurance to the public, NHS boards and the Scottish Government that patients are as safe as possible from HAIs and their consequences; that HAI standards in NHS acute hospitals are high and that any HAI issues are being tackled effectively.