- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 29 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether energy performance certificates will give information on (a) the asset rating of a building, (b) the operational rating of a building or (c) both and what the reasons were for its decision on this matter.
Answer
All energy performance certificates will be produced using an asset based rating that follows the methodology framework set out in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. The principal benefit of an Asset Rating is that it has the power to influence the people who can make a difference to the building fabric and services, the building owners. A consultation on the implementation of Articles 7, 8 and 9 of the Directive was carried out in 2006, and a significant majority of consultees supported the asset based approach.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 29 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure compliance with the requirement to display energy performance certificates where the building in question is owned or leased by a local authority.
Answer
Responsibility for compliance for all buildings lies with the local authority. Where cases of non-compliance occur, an authority will be in a position to serve a notice in order to address contraventions.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 17 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that the data collected for the Home Energy Efficiency Database will assist in efforts towards achieving the Scottish Government’s target of abolishing fuel poverty, so far as reasonably practicable, by 2016.
Answer
The Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum is considering how best the target can be achieved, and we expect their recommendations may cover data collection requirements to assist in targeting action and monitoring its impact.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 17 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the data from the Scottish House Condition Survey will be compatible with that from the Home Energy Efficiency Database and what steps it is taking to ensure that both data sets will assist in delivery of its targets on abolishing fuel poverty.
Answer
The two data sources have different purposes but both provide data which can be used to help alleviate fuel poverty.
The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) is a two phase survey - with a social survey interview with the householder followed by a physical survey of the dwelling by a trained building professional. It is a statistically-robust, stratified, random sample designed to provide an estimate of fuel poverty on a national basis annually and at local authority level every three years to a known level of precision.
The Home Energy Efficiency Database is a central repository for data on energy efficiency measures from a number of sources of varying quality, and as such does not provide the same representative, unbiased data on fuel poverty which the SHCS does. Nonetheless it measures the level of home energy efficiency activity by area (and smaller areas than the SHCS) and is a very rich data source.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 16 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what quality monitoring it intends to introduce to ensure that energy performance certificates are accurate.
Answer
Energy performance certificates (EPCs) for new buildings form a part of the building warrant completion certificate process and the local authorities have responsibility for carrying out the verification work. EPCs for existing buildings will be produced by members of professional institutions who have entered into protocol agreements with the Scottish Government. Every protocol organisation has rules to which their members must adhere.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 17 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13505 by Michael Russell on 4 June 2008, whether the working group to develop the detail of new legislation to regulate the use of snares will be the same group as the PAW (Scotland) Legislation, Regulation and Guidance sub-group referred to in Natural Justice: A Joint Thematic Inspection of the Arrangements in Scotland for Preventing, Investigating and Prosecuting Wildlife Crime and what the membership and specific remit of that group will be.
Answer
The PAW Scotland sub-group which “Natural Justice” recommended should be established would be an appropriate group for examining detailed issues relating to the laws regulating snaring as envisaged in the answer to S3W-13505.
The membership and remit of the working group will be finalised over the coming months in consultation with the PAW Scotland steering group.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 12 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reverse its decision not to follow the example of the Department for Transport in England and increase the Bus Services Operators Grant in line with any increase in fuel duty.
Answer
The Scottish Government will provide substantial funds to the bus industry of around £260 million each year. Each increase in fuel duty and its effect on the rate of Bus Service Operators Grant has to be looked at on an individual basis. Ministers are currently considering the future levels of Bus Service Operators Grant. Any changes to the increased level of funding that was set out in the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth’s budget statement on 6 February 2008 will be announced in due course.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 6 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what the scope of the five-yearly reviews of Scotland’s national parks will be and whether the reviews will include an evaluation of the impact of the national parks in relation to their objectives as set out in the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000.
Answer
The national parks review remit provides information on the scope and the provisional timetable of the review and is available on the Scottish Government’s website at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Countryside/16131.
A consultation will be carried out as part of the first stage of the review and I would encourage those interested in national parks to offer their views to the national parks review team. The consultation questions will be made available on the Scottish Government’s website in due course.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 6 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what the anticipated completion dates are for the five-yearly reviews of Scotland’s national parks.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13733 on 6 June 2008. 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/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 4 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in delivering the SNP manifesto commitment to ensure that there is renewable generation in every school.
Answer
Under the terms of the historic concordat signed between COSLA and the Scottish Government last year, we are committed to working with local authorities to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.
We have recently widened the Central Energy Efficiency Fund, which is a rolling loan fund, to allow authorities to invest in renewable as well as in energy efficiency technologies. We have increased funding under our renewables grants programme and we will fund dedicated schools development officers to provide advice to authorities and ensure they have a better awareness of how they can access grants for renewable technologies through the UK-wide Low Carbon Buildings Programme.
