Home-insulation scheme 'set up to fail', say Greens

Published on Sunday 27 September 2009 23:23

A HIGH-PROFILE home-insulation scheme was "set up to fail", according to the Green Party.

The accusation was made yesterday after Scottish Government ministers revealed it would take 66 years to bring Scottish homes up to standard, compared with ten under rival Green proposals.

Answers to questions about the Home Insulation Scheme also showed one-third of the 15 million allocated would be spent on administration.

And the project will miss the UK government's 2015 target on home insulation. The scheme is a slimmed-down version of the Greens' 1 billion proposals to offer free insulation to all homes over a decade.

Dispute over the scheme derailed finance secretary John Swinney's budget at the first time of asking in February. Greens' co-leader Patrick Harvie said: "We always feared that the Home Insulation Scheme was being set up to fail."

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said:

"This government is determined to help make homes warmer, reduce fuel bills, safeguard existing jobs and create new employment opportunities."