- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 29 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-29473 by Angela Constance on 5 February 2016, what the estimated requirements are for 2016-17, and how these differ from 2015-16.
Answer
<>The estimated non cash Delegated Expenditure Limit requirements for the cost of providing student loans i.e. the resource accounting and budget charge 2016-17 are £175.6 million. In 2015-16, the estimated requirements are £171 million.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 29 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the revised national anti-bullying strategy.
Answer
The Scottish Government launched ‘A National Approach to Anti-Bullying for Scotland’s Children and Young People’ in 2010. The national approach forms part of our wider attempts to improve the health and wellbeing of our children and young people. It fits in with our ongoing work to ensure children and young people feel safe and secure and are able to build up strong and positive relationships with their peers and with adults, as well as our work to promote positive behaviour.
Following many legislative and policy developments since the publication of the national approach, a working group was established in January 2015 to refresh the guidance. The purpose of the refreshed national approach is to communicate and promote a common vision and aims to make sure that work across all sectors and communities is consistently and coherently contributing to a holistic approach to anti-bullying in Scotland.
Following extensive consultation with children and young people, parents and carers and practitioners, the revised national approach will be published in spring 2016.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Burgess on 24 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the finding from the Scottish House Condition Survey 2012-2014 that the levels of fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty had increased in some areas, what additional investment it will make to tackle fuel poverty (a) in Orkney, (b) in the Highlands and Islands and (c) across the country.
Answer
The results from the Scottish House Condition Survey 2012-2014 for (a) the Highland and Islands (b) Orkney do not show a statistically significant increase in fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty between 2011-13 and 2012-14. However, the Scottish Government is committed to tackling fuel poverty. We have allocated £103 million to tackle fuel poverty and energy efficiency in 2016-17, which will be used to help install energy efficiency measures, including solid wall insulation, in 14,000 homes, building on the more than 900,000 measures delivered since 2008.
The new Warmer Homes Scotland scheme is delivered on a regional basis (including a separate island region) to ensure that all households, including those living in more remote parts of the country receive the same level of service as those in urban areas. In addition, since 2013 the maximum grant available through our Area Based Scheme to households in very remote rural areas (including all island communities) has risen by almost 40% to £9,000.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Burgess on 24 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the finding from the Scottish House Condition Survey 2012-2014 that the levels of fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty had increased in some areas, what plans it has to help people living in fuel poverty in (a) owner-occupied property, (b) social housing and (c) private rented accommodation (i) in Orkney, (ii) in the Highlands and Islands and (iii) across the country.
Answer
The most recent statistics on fuel poverty were published in December 2015 (Scottish House Condition Survey: Key Findings 2014 http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/12/8460) and do not show an increase in fuel poverty between 2013 and 2014. The Scottish House Condition Survey 2012-2014 publication is based on a different time period to the national report. It is based on three year rolling averages to ensure reasonable sample sizes for local authority analysis and is therefore not designed to measure year-on-year change. Given the small sample sizes and overlapping samples, the local authority results in this publication do not show a statistically significant increase in fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty between 2011-13 and 2012-14 for any local authority area.
Since 2009 we have allocated half a billion pounds to help tackle fuel poverty across all tenures across all of Scotland. The variety of schemes under the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland (HEEPS) banner gives households a wider range of support than ever before. Within HEEPS, and alongside our Area Based Schemes, we have made available interest free loans of up to £10,000 for energy efficiency measures, and in 2015 we launched our new flagship national fuel poverty scheme Warmer Homes Scotland, which is expected to help around 28,000 of the poorest and most vulnerable households across Scotland during its lifetime.
Going forward, we have designated energy efficiency as a national infrastructure priority and are committed to developing Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme. The new programme will provide an offer of support to buildings across Scotland to improve their energy efficiency over the next 15-20 years helping to tackle fuel poverty by making Scotland’s homes more affordable to run as well as helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. During this first development phase we are working with stakeholders to develop the programme including pilot projects with local authorities to test new and innovative approaches to delivering energy efficiency projects that integrate action on domestic and non-domestic energy efficiency. The new programme will take forward standards and introduce regulatory frameworks that give certainty to consumers and make it as easy as possible and the norm to invest in energy efficiency.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Aileen Campbell on 24 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-29440 by Aileen Campbell on 4 February 2016, on what date it will convene the group that will look at the overall allowances system.
Answer
Preparations are underway to allow work to begin immediately after the formation of the new government in May 2016. A specific date will be agreed with review group representatives.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 February 2016
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government when it will next meet Orkney Islands Council and what issues will be discussed.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2016
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 January 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 16 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on supply teachers in each of the last five years.
Answer
Supply teachers are employed by local authorities and the Scottish Government does not hold any data relating to the costs incurred.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Burgess on 12 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the finding from the Scottish House Condition Survey 2012-2014 that the levels of fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty had increased in some areas, what steps it is taking to work with (a) charities, (b) local authorities and (c) other public bodies to reduce the level of fuel poverty.
Answer
The most recent statistics on fuel poverty were published in December 2015 (Scottish House Condition Survey: Key Findings 2014 http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/12/8460) and do not show an increase in fuel poverty between 2013 and 2014. The Scottish House Condition Survey 2012-2014 publication is based on a different time period to the national report. It is based on three year rolling averages to ensure reasonable sample sizes for local authority analysis and is therefore not designed to measure year-on-year change. Given the small sample sizes and overlapping samples, the local authority results in this publication do not show a statistically significant increase in fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty between 2011-13 and 2012-14 for any local authority area.
Local authorities have been key delivery partners for a number of our fuel poverty programmes, including the Home Insulation Scheme, Universal Home Insulation Scheme and Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland: Area Based Schemes. The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with them. This year the majority of the Scottish Government budget for fuel poverty and energy efficiency programmes is directed at the Area Based Schemes which are delivered by all 32 of Scotland’s local authorities and prioritise fuel poor areas, providing a range of insulation measures for private sector properties. Enabling funding is also provided to councils to assist in developing schemes and engage with householders.
We are listening to a wide range of stakeholders as we develop our approach on tackling fuel poverty. We have set up the short term Fuel Poverty Strategic Working Group to work alongside the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum and the Scottish Rural Fuel Poverty Task Force to build on our efforts to date and drive forward the fuel poverty agenda. Charities including Energy Action Scotland, Age Scotland, the Poverty Alliance and the Child Poverty Action Group are represented on these groups, as are other public bodies, including NHS Scotland.
We are also supporting (via loan funding) Our Power, the UK’s first fully licensed non-profit distributing energy supplier. Our Power has been established by a consortium of registered social landlords to supply their tenants with energy on a tariff that is lower than the equivalent offered by the major suppliers. This should help increase competition in the energy supply market and be of particular benefit to a group of consumers which is particularly vulnerable to fuel poverty.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Burgess on 12 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reasons for the increase in fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty in (a) the Highlands and Islands and (b) Orkney as shown in the Scottish House Condition Survey 2012-2014.
Answer
The results from the Scottish House Condition Survey 2012-2014 are based on three years of data and are not designed to measure year-on-year change. Due to the small sample size in the Scottish House Condition Survey, the local authority results do not show a statistically significant increase in fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty between 2011-13 and 2012-14 for (a) the Highland and Islands and (b) Orkney.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 February 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Burgess on 12 February 2016
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered a reassessment of the 2016 fuel poverty target, in light of the finding from the Scottish House Condition Survey 2012-2014 that the levels of fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty had increased in some areas.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to meeting its statutory target of eradicating fuel poverty, as far as is reasonably practicable, by November 2016 and it has no current plans to reassess that target.
The Scottish Government is doing everything it can to tackle this issue and the latest statistics show that fuel poverty levels have been contained despite fuel prices rising.
The most recent statistics on fuel poverty were published in December 2015 (Scottish House Condition Survey: Key Findings 2014
http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/12/8460) and do not show an increase in fuel poverty between 2013 and 2014. The Scottish House Condition Survey 2012-2014 publication is based on a different time period to the national report. It is based on three year rolling averages to ensure reasonable sample sizes for local authority analysis and is therefore not designed to measure year-on-year change. Given the small sample sizes and overlapping samples, the local authority results in this publication do not show a statistically significant increase in fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty between 2011-13 and 2012-14 for any local authority area.
