Fuel Poverty (Target, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 6 June 2019.

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Photo of Andy Wightman Andy Wightman Green

I do not have a great deal to say—serendipity often decides who opens and closes groups. On Claudia Beamish’s amendment 78, the minister said that the strategy already deals with all tenures, so by that logic the fact that the amendment misses out agriculture and crofting should not really matter at all. It is the case, of course, that two identical homes—maybe in a terraced street—in which one family is in fuel poverty and the other is not will have very similar solutions to improving their energy efficiency. The strategy need not distinguish between fuel-poor households and non-fuel-poor households, because in most, if not all, cases the solutions will be the same and are vital to reducing carbon emissions.

I accept some of the minister’s critique of amendment 78; nevertheless, I still think that it would be a useful means by which to focus ministers’ attention, in the strategy, on particular tenures of housing.

I thank Alexander Burnett for his kind comments. He will possibly go down in history as the minister—

The minister! No. I mean the member. [

Interruption

.] He may go down in history as a minister, one day. Alexander Burnett will go down in history as—everyone is waiting with bated breath—the member who moved the £60 million amendment at stage 2. I am glad that he secured a more modest amendment today.

I press amendment 21.

Amendment 21 agreed to.

Amendment 22 moved—[Kevin Stewart]—and agreed to.