Ministers at odds over fuel poverty programme

UK Energy Secretary Ed Davey has said he was surprised and disappointed by the Scottish Government’s allegations that he is holding them back from tackling fuel poverty.

He met with Scottish housing minister Margaret Burgess yesterday after she accused the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) of “delays” in implementing an energy efficiency programme in Scotland.

ECO (Energy Companies Obligation) puts a legal obligation on energy suppliers to make homes more energy efficient, but Ms Burgess told Holyrood on Wednesday that she has yet to find out how the money will be spent in Scotland.

The pair met at an energy summit in Edinburgh yesterday.

Mr Davey said: “We’ve done some really good work and we’re really keen to make sure the Green Deal works in 
Scotland.

“We’re launching it in England on Monday but I think the Scottish Government has had a few problems, so they are launching it later I’m afraid.”

Ms Burgess said: “There was a lot of common ground today, but there was also an understanding that Scotland has got other measures that we are taking that are not happening in the rest of the UK, and it is our right to do that.”