Chamber and committees

The Scottish Energy Advisory Board last met on 14 November 2012. The meeting discussions included Energy Skills, Heat and the role of District Heating, and updates on key issues affecting the Energy Sectors. The next meeting of the Board will be on 6 March 2013. Minutes of all Scottish Energy Advisory Board meetings can be found on the Scottish Government website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/resources/working-groups/energy-advisory-board/Minutes.

We provide the necessary guidance and additional support when required to all NHS boards across Scotland in order to ensure that they continue to meet our current waiting times targets.

The Scottish Government also engage with NHS boards on a very regular basis in relation to waiting times and other key issues. There is also a formal annual review and mid-year review with each board.

The Scottish Government utilises the comprehensive set of statistics published on a quarterly basis by NHS Information Services Division, which includes performance against the waiting time target and standards etc.

We continue to work closely with health boards to address any issues and to maintain compliance in meeting our current waiting times targets.

The Energy Assistance Package (EAP) budget for 2012-13 was £47.5 million, of this £44 million was allocated to EAP stage 4. The balance of £3.5 million was primarily for grant funding the Energy Saving Trust and Energy Action Scotland and funding any marketing campaigns.

The state of play as of 31 December 2012 was that:

(a) £29.4 million had been spent – see notes (i), (iv);

(b) £8.2 million was committed - see notes (ii), (iv); and

(c) £9.9 million remained unspent -see notes (iii), (iv).

Notes:

(i) Figure includes both expenditure on stage 4, estimated from Scottish Gas management information data on the number of installations completed in the period April to December 2012, and the money spent or committed to the Energy Saving Trust and Energy Action Scotland or other purposes.

(ii) Figure estimated from Scottish Gas management information data on the number of people referred to stage 4 and waiting for an installation as at end December 2012.

(iii) Figure is the funding available less ((a) and (b)). This is a demand-led scheme and the unspent provision will fund a service for the customers referred in the period 1 January to 31 March 2013.

(iv) All figures are subject to change once final invoices are completed and received.

Over the three financial years from 2009-10 to 2011-12, the total Scottish Government programme expenditure on the Energy Assistance Package (EAP) was £100.9 million and some 233,000 households were estimated to have been assisted at an average spend per household of approximately £430. This expenditure covered all four stages of EAP, including energy advice, tariff and benefits checking, referral to energy companies for CERT-funded insulation measures and the end to end process of installing physical measures (insulation and new or repaired central heating systems) under EAP stage 4. The vast majority of the expenditure (£92.7 million) was spent on EAP stage 4, providing physical measures to 27,969 households at an average cost of approximately £3,300 per household. The Energy Assistance Package is expected to save households at least £3.80 on energy costs for every £1 of Scottish Government expenditure.

Note that the 2011-12 data is provisional and that the energy cost saving is based on estimates from June 2012. More information on the delivery of the Energy Assistance Package can be found in the Home Energy Programmes Detailed Report 2009-2012, available from the Energy Saving Trust website:

www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/Take-action/Home-Energy-Scotland/Energy-Assistance-Package/Programme-statistics

Car parking charges at NHSScotland operated car parks was abolished with effect from 31 December 2008, although that did not end the duty of NHS boards to manage their car parking appropriately. For most NHS boards, this is managed in-house. There are three NHS boards which use or have used contracts to manage their car parking and the value of those contracts is given in the following table.

Notes

1. Information supplied by NHS boards and does not include the three PFI/PPP contracts at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Ninewells Hospital, Dundee.

2. NHS Grampian ended the contract on 5 October 2008 and its car parking is now managed
   in-house.

3. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is currently tendering its car parking management contract; publication of the contract costs may prejudice the outcome that process.

When parking charges at NHSScotland operated car parking were abolished with effect from 31 December 2008, instructions were issued for NHS boards to ensure that car parking is managed appropriately and the parking needs of patients, visitors and staff is balanced.

Since then, Scottish Government officials continue to work with NHS boards to ensure that remains the position.

The Scottish Government has no locus in such issues, and therefore does not collate associated information. This is a matter for the contracting bodies.

The following private companies are involved in the Energy Assistance Package:

(a) Marketing. Private companies which support the Scottish Government’s marketing campaigns include:

(i) Marketing agencies:

Story UK Ltd

Tangible

Whitespace Ltd

Stripe Communications

Carat

(ii) Commercial campaign partners (providing space for events within their stores):

Dobbies Garden Centres

Morrison’s Supermarkets

ASDA Supermarkets

The Energy Saving Trust and Energy Saving Scotland Advice Centres also engage with private companies to promote the energy assistance package but the Scottish Government does not hold information about this.

(b) Sale. The Energy Assistance Package covers the provision of energy advice (stage 1), tariff and benefits checks (stage 2), referrals for vulnerable individuals to energy companies for insulation measures (stage 3) and enhanced energy efficiency measures (insulation and /or repairs to or replacement heating systems) for those most vulnerable to fuel poverty (stage 4). Although some households may be asked for a contribution towards the cost of a new heating system, the Energy Assistance Package does not involve direct sales.

(c) Execution. Private companies involved in the execution of work and repairs, maintenance and upgrades relating to the Energy Assistance Package include:

(i) Insulation contractors subcontracted by the six major energy suppliers (EDF, Eon, Npower, Scottish Gas, Scottish Power and Scottish and Southern Energy) to deliver insulation to vulnerable individuals (under the Stage 3 / CERT offer). The Scottish Government does not hold information about these subcontractors.

(ii) Scottish Gas (the managing agent for stage 4) has advised that they have arrangements with the following private companies for delivery of various elements of the service they provide:

A and R Hepburn

Alba Gas

Baxi Heat team

BCA Insulation

BRB Electrical

BSS Gas

Building Insulation Services (BIS)

Carillion Energy Services (EAGA)

City Technical Services (UK)

Complete Heat Scotland

Cool Planet

Dalex Systems

Devine Electrics

Dimplex

Dyno Rod Plumbing And Drains

EMC Gas, Heating & Plumbing

ESP Pipelines

Fyrebrite Heating & Building Service

Gas Call Services

Gas Services Direct

Heating 4 U Fife

ILM Highland

Mains Gas Services

McTear Electrical Services

Mitie Property Services (UK)

Mitsubishi Electric

Omega Electrical Contractors

PH Jones

Quality Gas Services

RDI Solutions

Robertson And Peterson

Saltire

Scotia Gas Networks

Scottish Power

Shetland Heatwise

SIG Energy Management (Millar Patterson)

South East Heating Services

Scottish and Southern Energy

Tighean Innse Gall

TK Murray Electrical

Turriff Smart Services

William Wilson Plc

Wiseman (Plumbing & Heating)

Worcester Bosch

(iii) Additionally, the Scottish Government has a contract with Bierce Technical Services Ltd to quality assure and audit work done under stage 4.