Electric Vehicle Loan application scheme: FOI release

Information requested

1) Can you please supply a breakdown of the 890 and confirm what of the many reasons listed was associated to this?

2) As there is a change from 15 - 22 days as an average which means many were waiting more than 22 days. Were any procedures put in place to reduce this delay and attempt to bring it back to 15 days and if so when?

3) Can you please also provide information on how many claims were made then cancelled and categorise the reason? (E.g. change of mind, no longer required, taking too long to process etc).

4) Can you please confirm the date when the website changed its wording to the following and what part did the busy period play in dealing with loan and claim applications?

Response

I enclose a copy of the information you requested, where Energy Saving Trust (EST) or Transport Scotland hold this information.

The answers to your questions are as follows:

1) Can you please supply a breakdown of the 890 and confirm what of the many reasons listed was associated to this?

Neither Transport Scotland nor the EST, who deliver this grant funding scheme on behalf of Scottish Ministers, hold this information.

2) As there is a change from 15 - 22 days as an average which means many were waiting more than 22 days. Were any procedures put in place to reduce this delay and attempt to bring it back to 15 days and if so when?

Throughout the financial year EST monitors processing times and, if increased demand for funding results in longer than average processing times, action is taken by EST to ensure negative impact on customers is minimised. There is not an exact date at which procedures would be enforced to minimise delays, as this action is taken as and when EST identifies increased demand necessitates these measures.

To help minimise delays, the EST processing team will implement the following measures:

• Temporarily Increasing the capacity of the team processing applications and claims to address temporary increases in demand.
• Ensuring customers are informed of increased processing times on EST’s public-facing website and customer portal.

3) Can you please also provide information on how many claims were made then cancelled and categorise the reason. (E.g. change of mind, no longer required, taking too long to process etc).

EST does not collect this information, and therefore neither Transport Scotland nor the EST hold this information.

4) Can you please confirm the date when the website changed its wording to the following and what part did the busy period play in dealing with loan and claim applications.

The customer portal, which is only accessible to customers issued with an email with the application hyperlink, was updated on Wednesday 8 November 2023.

The busy period referred to in the statement relates to EST’s monitoring of the scheme. As the end of the financial year approaches, EST review all applications against allocated budget for the financial year before making offers to individuals awaiting a decision on their application.

The statement on the portal has been copied below:

"Important announcement – loan applicants awaiting an offer for an electric vehicle"

We’re entering a very busy period and appreciate your patience as we process applications. If you have recently submitted your application, please be advised that it is under review and we’ll contact you with an update as soon as possible. 

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. The reason why we don't have the information is that neither Energy Saving Trust or Transport Scotland hold the requested information on individual application/ loan claims.

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.