What mechanism and procedure it has in place to target specific sectors of the population who may be especially at risk from fuel poverty.

Fuel poverty is most prevalent among those on low incomes, particularly the elderly and those dependent on state benefit. The Executive is targeting fuel poverty among those groups through the central heating programme and the Warm Deal; stock transfer from local authorities to new community landlords, and capital allocations to local authorities. These programmes complement policies from Westminster to help low income households through the tax and benefit system, and to exert a downward pressure on fuel prices through competition and regulation.We have also issued a consultation paper on how the Executive might best meet the duty placed on it by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that persons do not live in fuel poverty. The responses to the paper will help us consider how measures might best be targeted in the longer term.