What action it is taking to improve access for fuel poor households in rural areas to the Home Energy Efficiency Programme Scotland.

Scottish Government funding for the Home Energy Programmes for Scotland: Area Based Schemes (HEEPS: ABS) is distributed across all local authorities in Scotland. For 2014-15, £42 million of the £60 million available for HEEPS: ABS is allocated on the basis of need, which takes into account levels of fuel poverty and reflects the different types of properties within rural areas. This ensures that funding is directed to those areas most in need of assistance, including our rural areas.
£14.4 million, 34% of the allocated HEEPS: ABS funding for 2014-15, has been distributed to local authorities in rural areas. This year’s funding will support delivery in off-gas grid areas by providing specific funding to be used to deliver heating and insulation improvements for low-income and vulnerable households who meet the affordable warmth eligibility criteria in off-gas grid properties.
In addition, from April 2014, eligibility for the Energy Assistance Scheme takes precedence over the Affordable Warmth Scheme, helping to address a lack of service for off-gas grid households.
We are also lobbying the UK Government to amend the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) to ensure fairer delivery for rural and remote areas in Scotland. I have written to the UK Government flagging up concerns over the slow delivery of the ECO to rural and remote areas. Following extensive engagement with our stakeholders, the Scottish Government recently responded to the UK Government’s consultation on proposed changes to the ECO. We welcomed the UK Government’s proposals to widen eligibility and include additional incentives for delivery in areas that are off the mains gas grid. However, we remain concerned that this may not go far enough and have called for additional support for rural areas to be applied across all targets within the ECO.