Discussion on mis- sold solar panels
It’s been a busy month at Westminster, as I have taken part in a number of debates including those on Health & Social Care, Breast Cancer Care and the Agriculture Bill, but I have also been working to bring constituency issues, which need UK Government action, to the fore.
One area of progress was my meeting with the with the UK Secretary of State for Energy to discuss the many householders across my constituency who were mis- sold solar panels and wall insulation by a Government accredited company, HELMS, under the Green Deal Energy scheme.
I, and my colleagues, have raised this issue repeatedly in = Parliament, and also had a debate on the subject this month.
However, having secured the meeting, I was able to impress upon the minister both the extent and gravity of the problem where elderly constituents were essentially tricked into signing 25- year finance agreements for products, which were unlikely to last more than 15 years, and some ended up with dangerous or faulty installations.
The Minister has agreed to discuss options with his civil servants and the Green Deal Finance Company to see what remedy can be put in place so I will be watching to see what action is taken.
Another local initiative I have been working on for more than two years is the Ayrshire Growth Deal.
I first met with the Business Secretary, in January 2016, to push for the UK Government to match the funding commitment from the Scottish Government.
And, although the finance is not yet forthcoming, the proposals are nonetheless progressing at a local level.
I was delighted to attend an update from the local team to discuss some of the key projects, including the development of Prestwick as a Horizontal Spaceport and attraction of Scottish small satellite manufacturers to the Aerospace Campus, as well as projects encompassing manufacturing, tourism, life- sciences, energy production and digital skills.