Minutes of Meeting on Tuesday 6th February 2024
Venue: AQ5, Glasgow
Time: 09:30-17:00
Type: in-person
ATTENDEES:
Panel: Alister Steele (Chair – standing in for Matthew Cole), Kirsten Jenkins, Fraser Stewart and Hasan Karman (Boardroom Apprentice)
Virtual: Margaret Corrigan
Secretariat: Philippa Brosnan, Roanna Simpson, and Trisha Melvin
Apologises: Matthew Cole
Existing Housing Alliance: Elizabeth Leighton and Energy Action Scotland: Frazer Scott.
Attended between 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Scottish Government:
Neal Rafferty, Head of Heat Strategy and Consumer Policy; Alice Hall, Deputy Director, Better Homes; Naeem Bhatti, Head of Fuel Poverty & Housing Standards; Douglas Armstrong, Fuel Poverty Team Leader; Nichelle Gill, Fuel Poverty Senior Policy Officer.
Virtual – Madeleine Plater, Head of Heat in Buildings Domestic Regulations and Enforcement; Annie Howden, Heat Strategy and Programme Team Leader; Catrin Cooper, Heat in Buildings Policy, Regulation and Programme Delivery Manager; Robbie Lambie, Heat in Buildings Policy Officer; Samantha Doherty, Fuel Poverty Policy Officer; Mandy Lee, Fuel Poverty Policy Officer; Zach Thompson, Statistician; Anna Scrimgeour, Senior Assistant Statistician.
Attended between 2:30 – 4:30 pm
AGENDA ITEM 1: Welcome
Alister Steele, welcomed everyone to the meeting, especially the incoming Boardroom Apprentice, Hasan Karman. Alister noted Matt’s apologises and that he would be chairing in Matt’s absence. Alister noted the progress made on the Panel’s responses to Ofgem’s Standing Charge and the Scottish Government’s Pension Age Winter Heating Payment consultations, at the three virtual meetings which the Panel has had
[5 December 2023, 13 December 2023 and 10 January 2024] since it last met in-person on the 14 November 2023.
The Panel introduced themselves to Hasan.
The Panel reviewed the dashboard. Trisha Melvin discussed the progress, and next steps, on the outstanding actions from previous meetings.
AGENDA ITEM 2: Strategic Plan
The Panel considered the current draft of their strategic plan and agreed, that, subject to a few alterations, it was content with the shape and content. Philippa and Roanna to make amendments and re-circulate to the Panel at the end of next week for final review: it will then be sent to Matt for sign off.
AGENDA ITEM 3: Annual Report
The Panel briefly discussed the content of its first annual report, based on an outline which Trisha had prepared. The Panel asked the Secretariat to look at evidence underpinning the Scottish Government’s Fuel Poverty Strategy action plan.
AGENDA ITEM 4: Heat in Buildings Bill (HIBB)
Roanna briefed the panel on the Scottish Government’s HiBB consultation papers. Summarising what’s in the legislation. The Panel agreed that it would respond on emerging questions following further consideration of the consultation documents and the discussion at today’s stakeholder engagement sessions.
AGENDA ITEM 5: Discussion with the Existing Housing Alliance and Energy Action Scotland
The Panel had an Informal discussion over lunch with Existing Homes Alliance (Elizabeth Leighton), & Energy Action Scotland (Frazer Scott) to hear their thoughts on the HiBB consultation.
AGENDA ITEM 6: Overview of Heat in Buildings Bill Consultation & The HiB Strategy Monitoring and Framework
Madeleine Plater, Unit Head of Heat in Buildings Domestic Regulations and Enforcement, and Neal Rafferty, Unit Head of Heat Strategy and Consumer Policy, gave an overview of the HiBB consultation. This included SG’s approach to the consultation, the process & the legislative plan. They presented a presentation and took questions. The Heat Strategy Team then presented and talked through the framework for monitoring the Heat in Buildings Strategy.
AGENDA ITEM 7: The Fuel Poverty Monitoring & Evaluation Framework
Douglas Armstrong, the Fuel Poverty Policy Team Leader, spoke to the initial version of the M & E logic model framework. Douglas explained how they had split the 55 actions within the 10 priority areas. He invited comment from the Panel. The Panel provided some initial feedback based on its collective discussion earlier in the day, and invited the Fuel Poverty Team to provide an updated paper for its next meeting on the 18-19th of March and then comeback for further discussion, in-person, at the subsequent Panel meeting on the 16 of April.
AGENDA ITEM 8: Panel Reflections
Alister noted it had been a full but interesting day.
AGENDA ITEM 9: AOB
Kirsten gave an update along with Roanna on the research plan – an intern will be starting shortly.
Trisha gave the Panel an update on progress with the logistics for the March meeting in Aberdeen.
Philippa advised that the Scottish Government Analyst team, responsible for the Scottish Housing Condition Survey (SHCS) will do an online presentation on the SHCS findings once these are published.
Alister thanked the panel for their time and reflections and closed the meeting.
The next full Panel meeting will be on Monday 18th & Tuesday 19th March 2024 in Aberdeen.