Exclusive, 22 March 2009
Scottish ministers are going to come under fire for failing to do enough to cut climate pollution by promoting energy efficiency and renewable heat technologies.
A report from the Scottish Parliament’s Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee to be published this week will criticise the government for leaving an “excessive” amount of policy detail unclear.
“This lack of clarity on the direction of policy makes it difficult for the committee to fulfil its responsibility to scrutinise the policy,” the report says. “The committee believes that this is regrettable.”
The committee consists of eight MSPs, including three from the Scottish Nationalist Party and three from the Labour Party. It is convened by the LibDem MSP, Iain Smith.
“While we welcomed many aspects of the climate change bill we felt there was a lack of detail and too much discretion left to ministers with an insufficient role for the parliament,” he told the Sunday Herald.
“The committee wants to see specific targets set for the reductions in greenhouse gases from energy efficiency and renewable heat. We also want to see a far quicker production of all the action plans promised by the government.”
There were also problems with the policy costings, he said. “The costs outlined for implementing the measures proposed in the bill are far too vague and we want more detail on the financial implications.”
The Scottish government defended itself by reiterating that it had introduced “the most ambitious climate change legislation anywhere in the world”.
“We are committed to making Scotland the green energy capital of Europe by capitalising on our tremendous renewable energy potential,” said a government spokesman. “Scottish ministers have consented 20 renewable projects in just over 20 months – more determinations than over the whole of the previous four years.”
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