Funding for solar panels and battery installation from the Energy Saving Trust Scotland grants and loan scheme: EIR release

Information requested

I am looking for a transcript of the conversation between Ministers regarding the decision to pull funding for solar panels and battery installation from the Energy Saving Trust Scotland Grants and Loan Scheme.

I would also like to know the exact date the decision was made to pull the funding.

Response

As the information you have requested is 'environmental information' for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

I understand your request relates to the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme, which is delivered by Energy Saving Trust (EST) on behalf of the Scottish Government, and the decision to stop issuing funding to new applications for solar PV and energy storage systems.

I enclose some of the information you have requested.

The Scottish Government does not hold a record or transcript of any meetings between Ministers on the decision to stop issuing funding to new applications for solar PV and energy storage systems through the HES Grant and Loan Scheme.

A record of official meetings, including between Ministers, that deal with substantive government business is required to be taken and stored in line with the Scottish Government’s Record Management Policy. The searches conducted for your request have not identified any meeting that has taken place between Ministers where the proposed changes to the HES Grant and Loan Scheme were discussed.

This is a formal notice under section 10(4)(a) that the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested.

The changes to the scheme were approved by the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy (formerly Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy) on 15 May 2024.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.