Twenty-Seventh Report - Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme

Select Committee

Public Accounts Committee HC 635 1 December 2021

Report Status Government responded

Conclusions & Recommendations 29 items (10 recs)

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Government Response (AI assessment · 29 of 29 classified)

Accepted 13

Acknowledged 11

Not Addressed 5

Government response

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty Seventh report from Session 2021-22 · published 1 Mar 2022

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Recommendations & Conclusions

5 results

3 Recommendation Not Addressed

The Scheme’s design was overly complex and did not sufficiently address the needs of consumers...

Recommendation

The Scheme’s design was overly complex and did not sufficiently address the needs of consumers and installers. The Department acknowledges that consumers and installers faced a poor customer experience when using the Scheme. There were delays to applications being processed, … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government's response addresses civil service skills shortages and efficiency savings, but does not provide details on steps taken to secure meaningful consumer engagement or ensure proportionate administration costs in new programmes, as recommended.

HM Treasury

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4 Recommendation Not Addressed

The creation of jobs was a priority for the Scheme, but the Department failed to...

Recommendation

The creation of jobs was a priority for the Scheme, but the Department failed to maximise its impact on employment. The Scheme’s objectives of creating jobs and reducing carbon emissions were at times conflicting. The Department chose to prioritise measures … Read more The creation of jobs was a priority for the Scheme, but the Department failed to maximise its impact on employment. The Scheme’s objectives of creating jobs and reducing carbon emissions were at times conflicting. The Department chose to prioritise measures under the Scheme which promised higher carbon savings. However, this limited the number of jobs that could be created, as often energy Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme 7 efficiency measures which required skills that were quicker for installers to recruit and train, or where there were larger supply chains, were not as accessible under the Scheme. Heat Pump installations, for example, were encouraged under the six- month Scheme but it can take much longer than that just to learn how to install them. The Department originally envisaged that the Scheme would support up to 82,500 jobs over 6 months, but its modelling now indicates that the Scheme will have supported 5,600 jobs over 12 months. We are sceptical whether these modelled figures are accurate, as they are not based on concrete evidence of the actual number of jobs supported, and also do not take into account the negative effects reported by installers from the Scheme’s sudden closure. The Department is confident that installers were able to find work through its other energy efficiency schemes once the Scheme closed, however evidence submitted by industry indicates that these schemes were often not accessible to smaller installation companies, and some firms had to make staff redundant as a result of the Scheme’s difficulties and its abrupt closure. Recommendations: In planning and implementing the new Boiler Upgrade Scheme, the Department should engage closely with potential suppliers to properly understand the challenges they may face to scale up, including training sufficient numbers of appropriately skilled workers, and ensure the availability of suppliers across the country. If the Department sets an objective to create jobs it should put in place rob Show less

Government Response Summary

The government's response quotes a general PAC conclusion about tracking benefits and costs, completely failing to address the specific recommendation for the Department to engage with suppliers and address scaling challenges for the new Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

HM Treasury

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5 Recommendation Not Addressed

The Department appointed a contractor without properly understanding whether it could deliver.

Recommendation

The Department appointed a contractor without properly understanding whether it could deliver. The Department undertook a rapid procurement for a grant administrator, who would develop a digital voucher application system for the Scheme. None of the bidders for the contract … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government's response cites a general PAC conclusion about government efficiency drives, failing to address the specific recommendation for the Department to outline how it will improve technical scrutiny of bids during procurements.

HM Treasury

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6 Recommendation Not Addressed

The Department has persistently failed to learn lessons from previous energy efficiency schemes.

Recommendation

The Department has persistently failed to learn lessons from previous energy efficiency schemes. The Committee has seen a number of domestic energy efficiency schemes which have failed to achieve their ambitions, including the Green Deal and the Renewable Heat Incentive. … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government's response refers to a general PAC conclusion about civil service capacity during emergencies and does not address the specific recommendation on embedding lessons learned from energy efficiency schemes.

HM Treasury

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1 Conclusion Not Addressed

On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence...

Conclusion

On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (the Department) about the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme. The government aims to achieve net zero … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government's response references a general PAC conclusion about 'cost shunting,' which does not address the committee's specific background information and context provided in conclusion #1 regarding the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme.

HM Treasury

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