Transparency a key priority

WE SEEK to correct some of the inaccuracies expressed about the operation of the Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (Spreee).

As stated on the group’s website, “the purpose of the Group is to bring together Members of the Scottish Parliament and others with an interest in renewable energy and energy efficiency in Scotland”.

At our AGM this year, the group reaffirmed that we wished to continue to take advantage of the relevant expertise that organisations directly involved in both of these sectors can provide. Responsibility to provide secretarial support for the group is shared by two not-for-profit organisations, Scottish Renewables and the Energy Saving Trust.

This support is listed on the cross party group section of the Scottish Parliament website and also on the Annual Return, which is publicly available online alongside notes from previous meetings. Communications from the group are also provided, alternately, by Scottish Renewables and the Energy Saving Trust, depending on the subject matter of the meeting the group is seeking to publicise to ­members.

In terms of setting the agenda of Spreee, this is done on an annual basis at the AGM, which all MSPs and non-MSP members are invited to attend, and where suggestions are put forward publicly. The Co-Convener MSPs then take these ideas, prioritise them and ask the secretariat of the group to put together speakers that reflect these ­suggestions.

Spreee is one of the most open and transparent cross-party groups operating in the Scottish Parliament, with notes of previous meetings posted regularly online and a membership upwards of 400 people, including many individual members of the public.

Our forthcoming programme includes large-scale energy storage, retrofitting housing to meet higher energy efficiency standards and the role of local authorities in promoting energy efficiency and renewables. The Scottish Parliament’s website gives further information about the group: www.scottish.parliament.uk/msps/42712.aspx.

Sarah Boyack MSP and Jim Eadie MSP, Co-Conveners of Spreee