Built Environment (Energy Consumption)

Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament am 2:00 pm ar 31 Hydref 2024.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Patrick Harvie Patrick Harvie Green 2:00, 31 Hydref 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce energy consumption from the built environment. (S6O-03862)

Photo of Alasdair Allan Alasdair Allan Scottish National Party

Heating our homes and workplaces causes 20 per cent of our emissions. We have already made significant progress: emissions from buildings fell by 32 per cent between 1990 and 2022.

The energy efficiency of our homes is increasing across all tenures and more heat pumps are being installed than ever before. More than 150,000 households in Scotland have already benefited from our delivery schemes and we provided more than £210 million to those schemes in the last financial year.

We intend to lay regulations in December 2024 to deliver a Scottish equivalent to the Passivhaus standard.

Photo of Patrick Harvie Patrick Harvie Green

The minister is right about the critical aspect of the heat in buildings programme as part of the transition to a net zero society. Over the past few years, the Scottish Government developed a programme that has been well regarded and even described as something that could be a template for action across the rest of the UK. However, in the past few weeks, I have heard increasing rumours of large-scale job losses in Home Energy Scotland and even one suggestion that the entire grant and loan scheme is going to be put on hold. Will the minister take this opportunity to scotch those rumours and make it clear that those changes will not happen? If there is any danger of such changes taking place, will he immediately begin discussions with Exchequer colleagues to ensure that the additional money that is now available to the Scottish Government, following yesterday’s UK budget, is made available to reverse any changes that have been suggested?

Photo of Alasdair Allan Alasdair Allan Scottish National Party

The Scottish Government will have to study the implications of the UK Government’s budget for Scotland. We work with suppliers and others to ensure that there is as much certainty as possible on those matters, but we are at the mercy of decisions in the UK about our overall budget. However, we certainly keep in touch with suppliers and agencies to ensure that there is as much certainty in the system as possible.