Budget
Thu., November 13, 2008. 17:06.
Parliament backs £100M Green budget bid
The Scottish Parliament today backed the Scottish Green Party's £100m budget proposals (1) on home energy efficiency. Today's key vote saw Holyrood back the principle of a comprehensive Scotland-wide energy efficiency scheme, including support for energy audits, insulation and appropriate microrenewables.
The Parliament voted for the Green amendment (1) by 91 votes to 15, with 14 abstentions, before backing the final amended motion by a similar margin. Discussions on this issue will now continue between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party, and Greens believe that the momentum behind this proposal will make it hard for Ministers not to back it in their final budget.
Robin Harper MSP said:
Home energy efficiency is the most cost-effective way to beat fuel poverty, improve health, tackle climate change, and cut people's bills all at the same time. The time has clearly come for a universal scheme covering the whole of Scotland, not piecemeal projects based on means testing and up-front charges. Even if climate change wasn't the urgent issue it actually is, these proposals would be worth pursuing for the benefit of the thousands of new green collar jobs Scotland could gain.
With Parliament's clear support, the Scottish Government now has an opportunity to make all Scotland's homes warm, green and cheaper to live in. We look forward to further constructive discussions around this issue with the SNP and with other parties. Today's vote shows that they understand the scale of the problems Scotland faces, and that they are ready to look at imaginative solutions on that same scale.
Notes
1. The Green amendment read as follows: S3M-2864.1 Patrick Harvie: Energy Efficiency-As an amendment to motion (S3M-2864) in the name of Sarah Boyack, leave out from "improve" to end and insert "ensure that microgeneration technologies become widely available and used and to consider other energy efficiency measures for new and existing housing stock to tackle fuel poverty, climate change and security of energy supply; notes the evidence given by Friends of the Earth Scotland to the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee suggesting that an additional £100 million per annum would be a welcome change to the draft budget for 2009-10, and calls on the Scottish Government to consider a comprehensive and fully funded Scotland-wide scheme on this scale to provide energy audits, insulation provision and financial support for micro-renewables where appropriate."
The original Labour motion read as follows:
S3M-2864 Sarah Boyack: Energy Efficiency-That the Parliament recognises the significant role that energy efficiency and microgeneration measures could have in reducing energy costs for householders and businesses, in achieving urgent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 80% by 2050 and contributing to the eradication of fuel poverty by 2016; notes that research carried out by the Energy Savings Trust suggests that widespread installation of microgeneration could provide 30 to 40% of our electricity needs by 2050 but that current investment in energy efficiency and microgeneration measures is insufficient to achieve these goals, and calls on the Scottish Government to take steps, as set out in the Energy Efficiency and Microgeneration Bill proposals, such as fiscal incentives for householders and businesses, to improve the energy efficiency of new and existing housing stock and ensure that microgeneration technologies become widely available and used.
Contact the Scottish Greens' press team on 07909 933 074.