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The home energy model is a foundational part of the proposed changes. I will point to a few things in answering your question. First, UK and Scottish officials have been working closely from its inception through to where we are now. We have complemented that with interministerial engagement. Most recently, in summer, I wrote to my counterpart in the UK Government, seeking assurances that the home energy model would be developed in time to coincide with the regulations coming into force—as we are seeking—next October.

I have no reason to suspect that there will be a delay. UK ministers are also publicly committed to the timeline. To be absolutely sure about that timeline and to acknowledge how important it is for the development of this work, we have agreed a memorandum of understanding with the UK Government that, should any delay emerge at its end, it will give us early sight of that. We should be able to consider mitigations then, if need be. However, as I say, at this point, I have no reason to believe that there will be a delay.

I think that it has already started, to a great extent, has it not?

I agree that we do not want disparity in how the regulations are observed or in the approaches that local authorities take. The changes that we are making now provide an opportune moment to pause and review how local authorities currently operate and to support them to get to the point of having a broad, shared understanding of their obligations and what they need to do.

That is mainly happening in two ways. First, we are considering, and seeking to draw upon, best practice in local authority areas across the UK that are managing the process well. Secondly, we are implementing the toolkit that I mentioned, which will ultimately provide authorities with guidance on how the obligations arise and how to discharge them.

Yes, absolutely. Concisely, they are the foundation of the wider heat in buildings plans. The reform of the EPC has been lengthy and complicated work, and once it is done, it will be the basis on which we seek to drive different standards or legislate for changes.

The EPCs themselves are pretty neutral on all that. They will just reflect the situation as it stands, but they are an up-to-date, well-resourced and well-understood basis on which to do all that.

That is right, convener—our proposal is that the regulations will go live on 31 October 2026. That would be the beginning of a one-year transition, when both types of certificate would be valid for both sales and rents.

I add that regulation 25 provides that if all reasonable endeavours have been made to achieve or obtain a new certificate but it has not been possible to do so, that will not get in the way of the property transaction. There is a little bit of flexibility there to reflect people’s reasonable endeavours.

To come back to Ross Loveridge’s point about the substantial peak between 2008 and 2009—I think that about 194,000 more EPCs were required—because of the transitional arrangements that we have put in place, we are expecting only around 56,500 per annum for the first two years. We have split the peak to make it more manageable. That is really important for consumers. I always have at the forefront of my mind how ordinary people who are just trying to go about their property transaction navigate all of this.

Equally, you are quite right that conveyancers and others who work in the property market need time as well. I think that the regulations provide that time for them, and we are engaged with them on that. Having done conveyancing, I know that conveyancers are completely on top of developments in the property market and are some of the best placed individuals to adapt to and to understand the changes. Nonetheless, we are taking our time to make sure that they have a transition period and that they are engaged on the changes.

Yes. In my scribbled handwritten notes it says that, in June 2024, 76 per cent of all registrations were for one property. I will check the source of that and come back to you.

My colleague Ross Loveridge has already mentioned that the assessment and the pool of assessors is a UK-wide matter, so it is another part of the process on which we are working closely with the UK Government to prepare for. The approved organisations that oversee the availability and the training standards have also been part of groups that officials have engaged with. Perhaps the officials can say a little bit more about that.

It is probably worth pointing out that the task for assessors is not materially different: it will still be a case of assessing and inputting data. Our approach to introducing the measure—the regulations will come into force one year from now, then there will be a further transitionary year—should allow for preparedness and readiness to be absolutely where they need to be.

I will come to Ross Loveridge, who can fill you in on what officials have been doing.

Forgive me, convener, but I might turn straight to Ross Loveridge to answer that. We had a conversation about it this morning and he explained it to me very clearly, so it might be helpful for the committee to hear his explanation.

No matter how much or how little information people want to provide, I emphasise that our approach is all about empowering them.

I agree that we do not want disparity in how the regulations are observed or in the approaches that local authorities take. The changes that we are making now provide an opportune moment to pause and review how local authorities currently operate and to support them to get to the point of having a broad, shared understanding of their obligations and what they need to do.

That is mainly happening in two ways. First, we are considering, and seeking to draw upon, best practice in local authority areas across the UK that are managing the process well. Secondly, we are implementing the toolkit that I mentioned, which will ultimately provide authorities with guidance on how the obligations arise and how to discharge them.