Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government does not have interim targets in addition to the overall target of creating 100,000 hectares of new woodland over the period 2012-22.

The woodland creation elements of the new Scottish Rural Development Programme include policies which have been designed to increase the demand for new woodland creation grants.

At this stage there is uncertainty about the overall level of investment available due to UK Government changes to Energy Company Obligation (ECO). But we will continue to use our Home Energy Efficiency Programmes (HEEPS) funding to maximise leverage of private sector funding from the energy companies seeking to meet their obligations under ECO. Latest statistics from the UK Government, released in December 2014, show that between January 2013 to the end of September 2014, 11.7% of the total energy efficiency measures under ECO were delivered in Scotland - Scotland has 9.3% of households in Great Britain. These figures include ECO measures delivered in Scotland under HEEPS.

We have made very clear our commitment to improving energy efficiency to help address fuel poverty. We have allocated over half a billion pounds since 2009 on a raft of fuel poverty and energy efficiency programmes, and the recent announcement of extra funding for our fuel poverty programmes will increase funding for our energy efficiency and fuel poverty programmes from £94 million in the current year to £114 million next. As the most recent Scottish House Condition Survey results show, our investment to improve domestic energy efficiency has helped mitigated against the 7% rise in fuel prices in the past year.

Information on the number of residential properties retrofitted each year by scheme and by local authority is available for the years 2009 to 2013 from the Energy Saving Trust website at the following link:

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/domestic/sites/default/files/Getting%20Support%20-%20Programme%20statistics%20-%20PDF%20-%20HE%20Summary%20Report%202009%20-%20LC%20-%20July%202014.pdf

Information on delivery for 2013-14 by scheme and by local authority is published on the Energy Saving Trust website at the following link:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/warmhomes/heeps

The information for our Area Based Schemes does not include data on the number of residential properties retrofitted but instead sets out how many measures have been installed. Some properties benefit from more than one measure.

This government remains committed to eradicating fuel poverty. Unfortunately, we only have the powers to influence one of the levers to tackle fuel poverty, the energy efficiency of the house. That is why we have allocated over half a billion pounds since 2009 on a raft of fuel poverty and energy efficiency programmes and, as the most recent Scottish House Condition Survey results show, our investment to improve domestic energy efficiency has helped mitigated against the seven per cent rise in fuel prices in the past year.

We continue to focus on increasing the energy efficiency of homes in Scotland and last week announced an additional £20 million to support fuel poverty and energy efficiency programmes in 2016, taking our funding for 2015-16 to £114 million.

We are also urging the UK Government to use its powers to increase the level of Warm Home Discount and fund that through central resources. And on 8 January 2015 the energy minister wrote to the major energy suppliers seeking assurance that consumers will feel the benefit of lower oil prices at the earliest opportunity.

The Scottish Government assisted with an evaluation of the City of Edinburgh’s 20 mph speed limit pilot scheme in South Central Edinburgh in August 2013. This demonstrated its success in reducing vehicle speeds and promoting positive attitudes to 20 mph limits. In particular, residents viewed the pilot benefited the safety for children walking about the area, safety for children to play in the street, better conditions for walking, less traffic incidents, and better cycling conditions, thus helping to promote active travel.

The Scottish Government will continue to lead work to support the delivery of Low Carbon Scotland - Meeting the Emissions Reduction Targets 2013-2027. It is our intention that RPP2 (the second report on proposals and policies) will be delivered in full, and where policies and proposals are not being delivered, we will look to bring forward new policies with the same, if not greater, level of emissions abatement.

The Cabinet Sub-Committee on Climate Change has been established to ensure climate change policy is given the highest priority across all Government objectives. The Cabinet Sub Committee met for the second time on 8 January 2015 and discussed both the good progress made to date and the policy options available across the members’ portfolios to help ensure Scotland stays on track to meet its world-leading climate change targets. These included options in energy, housing, transport, local government and communities, land use, agriculture and forestry.

On 8 January 2015 we published a good practice guide, written in conjunction with the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland, to provide clarity on the options available to local authorities with regard to setting 20 mph speed restrictions throughout Scotland.

Transport Scotland assisted the City of Edinburgh Council with the evaluation of their 20 mph speed limit pilot scheme in South Central Edinburgh which demonstrated that traffic speeds can be reduced without the need for additional traffic calming measures. There is overwhelming evidence that the frequency and severity of accidents rises disproportionately with speed, which is why the Scottish Government supports the use of 20 mph speed limits and zones, where appropriate.

The Scottish Government recognises that poor air quality can impact on health, and those with existing heart or lung conditions are more susceptible to the increased health risk associated with air pollution. However, due to the wide range of factors that can impact on the health of patients with these types of conditions, it is not possible to accurately assess the financial cost directly attributable to poor air quality.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-24387 on 17 February 2015.

The Air Quality Standards (Scotland) Regulations 2010 transpose into domestic legislation the requirements of Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and clean air for Europe.

Any legal action taken for breaches of the directive is by the European Commission against individual EU member states. The UK is currently the subject of formal infraction proceedings relating to non-compliance with the nitrogen dioxide limit values. The vast majority of other EU member states are subject to similar action.

The UK Government, in partnership with the devolved administrations, has formally responded to the commission’s infraction letter outlining the actions being taken to ensure compliance as soon as possible. We are currently awaiting the commission’s response.

We are also updating the action plans referred to in the answer to S4W-24387, which outline the national and local policies being implemented in relation to air quality.

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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.