Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Industry associations stated that the short lead up time, and the Scheme’s six-month window was...
Conclusion
Industry associations stated that the short lead up time, and the Scheme’s six-month window was a challenge for many installers, providing a very short timeframe for them to identify the resources they needed to engage with the scheme, as well as for the installation of measures.26 The Department acknowledged that delivering the intended £1.5 billion of funding was extremely ambitious, and that it could have driven greater job creation by broadening the constraints on measures, however, it wanted to ensure that the scheme was not poor value for money in delivering carbon impacts.27 It also argued that many of the primary measures were labour intensive and stimulating demand for them would also have an impact in supporting jobs, and that where specialist skills were needed firms could hire new staff to work alongside those who were more experienced.28
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
3.2 The department recognises the impact that the shortened timescale had on officials’ ability to meaningfully engage with consumers and installers, and that the scheme administrator’s digital delivery complicated these processes. 3.3 The pace of the GHGv scheme delivery led to some policy design decisions that added complexity to the user experience. However, key elements of the scheme design were informed by important learnings from previous schemes, including the prioritisation of robust quality assurance and customer protection. 3.4 This necessarily drove the quality standard requirements for tradespeople to be registered with TrustMark and have the relevant trade certifications, in line with the recommendations set out in the 2016 Each Home Counts (EHC) review. The department remains committed to implementing the outcomes of the EHC review and the importance of high standards in retrofit, including the transition to the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2030/2035:2019, which represent an industry-wide approach to ensuring quality home retrofit and consumer protection. 3.5 Nevertheless, it is recognised that policy implementation can be improved. For each proposed policy development, the department aims to undertake robust public consultation to gather views of potentially affected stakeholders and seek feedback from consumers on the effectiveness of policy implementation. 3.6 All policy development is underpinned by the Policy Profession Standards, which defines the skills and knowledge required from all UK Civil Servants involved in policy work. Lessons learned from the GHGv scheme are being shared across the department and will inform the development of future schemes.