Fuel poverty strategy for Scotland: consultation

Section 8: Assessing impacts

We are considering the impact of implementing our proposals.

An Equality Impact Assessment ( EQIA) will help us understand policy impacts on people because of their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. Data availability on levels of fuel poverty for each of these equality groups is varied, but the EQIA process will help to identify (and mitigate) negative impacts and proactively look for opportunities to promote equality.

A full Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment ( SEA) will be carried out during the development of SEEP. The delivery of SEEP will be one of the mechanisms, amongst others, that will help us to remove inadequate energy efficiency in properties.

A Business Regulatory Impact Assessment ( BRIA) allows us to assess the likely financial costs and benefits and the associated risks of the proposals that might have an impact on the public, private or third sector. A full BRIA will be carried out during the development of SEEP, the latter being the mechanism we will use to deliver energy efficiency improvements to buildings over the longer term, with the eradication of fuel poverty at its heart.

A Children's Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment ( CRWIA) will allow us to assess whether the proposals will advance the realisation of children's rights in Scotland and protect and promote the wellbeing of children and young people.

A Health Impact Assessment ( HIA) will allow us to identify and assess the potential impacts of the proposals on health and wellbeing and make recommendations to maximise benefits and minimise risks.

Our interim EQIA has been published alongside this consultation.

The final HIA and CRWIA will be published alongside a draft Fuel Poverty Strategy in Spring 2018, in advance of the Warm Homes Bill being introduced in Parliament.

Questions

22) Do you think any of the proposals set out in this consultation will have an impact, positive or negative, on equalities as set out above? If so, what impact do you think that will be and, if negative, how do you think these could be mitigated?

23) What implications (including potential costs) will there be for business and public sector delivery organisations from these proposals?

24) Do you think any of these proposals will have an impact, positive or negative, on children's rights? If so, what impact do you think that will be and, if negative, how do you think these could be mitigated?