Ms Burgess concludes her speech by saying the Scottish government awaits further detail about the scope of new powers relating to energy efficiency which the Smith Commission has recommended be devolved.

That's all from BBC Scotland's Democracy Live coverage of the Scottish Parliament, join us again at 9.30am when we cover the Local Government's evidence session on the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Bill.

Amongst those giving evidence will be Dr Michael North from the Gun Control Network, whose daughter was killed in the Dunblane shootings in 1996.

Housing Minister Margaret Burgess says tackling fuel poverty is a major part of the Scottish government's strategy to create a fairer Scotland and to tackle inequality.

Ms Burgess says disrepair in our older housing stock and the resultant heating inefficiency.

"Responsibility for looking after homes lies, in the first instance, with the owners."

Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone says housing built in 19th century was in its day of high quality - however not to the standard we'd wish them to be in terms of energy efficiency today.

Mr Johnstone says "the challenge we have is to let people know what modern technology can do".

He also says "we need people to understand the benefits they will get from a little investment".

SNP MSP Mike McKenzie says as a Highlands and Islands member he is "acutely aware of fuel poverty that runs at over 50% on many of our islands".

He continues part of the explanation is about fuel costs, part is about low wages and part about the high proportion of housing stock across the Highlands and Islands which is in poor repair and not energy efficient.

Almost 60% of people aged over 60 and living in rural parts of Scotland are living in fuel poverty, according to a report published in June.

The study by Scotland's Rural College said that the figure compared with 45% of over 60s in urban areas.

According to the report, Rural Scotland in Focus 2014, the highest levels of fuel poverty were found in Orkney and the Western Isles.

The study suggested 75% and 76% of older people there were affected.

The Scottish government aims to ensure that by November 2016, so far as is reasonably practicable, people are not living in fuel poverty in Scotland.

The Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland (HEEPS) replace the previous Energy Assistance Package, Universal Home Insulation Scheme and Carbon Emissions Reduction Scheme.

The Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland: Area Based Schemes are designed and delivered by local authorities, targeting fuel poor areas, to provide energy efficiency measures to a large number of Scottish households while delivering emission savings and helping to reduce fuel poverty.

From summer 2013 they may offer you energy efficiency measures, depending on where you live. The schemes are delivered by local authorities in conjunction with local delivery partners.

In September the Scottish government announced a £4.5m energy efficiency initiative that will benefit almost 1,700 council and housing association homes .

The Green Homes Cashback Scheme will give grants to 24 councils and social landlords.

A total of 1,677 homes will be made warmer and cheaper to heat.

Housing Minister Margaret Burgess said the initiative "will make a real difference to families who are struggling to make ends meet".

Labour MSP Margaret McDougall highlights the problems facing people living in old homes, both financial and health.

Ms McDougall says fuel poverty must be tackled via energy efficiency and the improvements needed to make traditional buildings easier to heat.

Mr Don says most MSPs have the experience of talking to councils who are trying to leave old buildings, so they don't have to deal with the backlog of maintenance.

Owners probably do not understand the problem says the SNP MSP.

As owners of buildings, they need to understand, that stone deteriorates in water, therefore roofs and walls need to be waterproof, with functional gutters and drains, he says.

Most people do not give much thought to this, the SNP MSP says, yet these buildings are very poor at retaining heat.

SNP MSP Nigel Don leads a debate on fuel poverty in pre-1919 residential properties.

In his motion Mr Don says that most residential properties built before 1919 show significant disrepair and that a quarter have extensive disrepair.

He thinks that residents in these dwellings are more likely to be in fuel poverty than those in more modern buildings and recognises the social consequences of poor housing conditions.

Mr Don is calling for those responsible for these properties to make a priority of effecting suitable repairs.

At decision time, not surprisingly after such a consensual debate, the motion from Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing is unanimously passed.

Image source, AP

The minister concludes praising MTV Europe as a "showcase for popular music in the post Frank Sinatra era".

Mr Ewing closes by misquoting Al Jolson saying "tourism in Scotland you ain't seen nothing yet".

The minister also praises the work of Phillip Briggs, Sally Hyder and Moria Henderson for promoting accessible tourism.

Mr Ewing praises Euan's Guide, external, a disabled access review website and app, capturing attention and support where others have failed.

When Euan MacDonald became disabled due to Motor Neurone Disease diagnosed 10 years ago, he got frustrated that the only way to discover if a venue was fully accessible was by visiting it himself.

Married with two young children, MacDonald has a ventilator, speaks with a speech synthesizer and uses a powered wheelchair to get around.

To help him, the family of the 39-year-old started to note down the accessible venues in his home city of Edinburgh. Soon they had the beginnings of Euan's guide, a disability review website and smart phone app.

600 places have been reviewed by disabled people in 250 towns across the UK with 400 more reviews by the venues themselves.

Six people now work for Euan's Guide, including MacDonald's sister Kiki MacDonald, who recently gave up her job in investment management to focus on the project because she's "passionate" about it.

Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing stresses the importance of accessible tourism as there are 11m people in the UK with a disability but only 2m get a holiday or a break.

So four out of five people with a disability do not get a holiday because it is "too difficult" - something we need to tackle.

He praises VisitScotland for leading the way on this issue, external.

The Scottish government's submission to the Smith Commission set out the package of further powers it believed the Scottish Parliament required in order to meet the expectations of the Scottish people as expressed in the referendum and also to enhance the financial and democratic accountability of the Scottish Parliament and Government.

Image source, PA

Responsibility for Air Passenger Duty being held in this Chamber could be used to boost international connectivity and tourism in Scotland - a view also endorsed by the major Scottish airports in their submissions.

The Smith Commission said Air Passenger Duty should be fully devolved.

Labour MSP Patricia Ferguson says 2014 has been a marvellous year for tourism and a year when Scotland shone on stage.

Ms Ferguson says the 2014 Sport's Personality of the Year awards is the perfect opportunity to shed light on this success.

Ten contenders have been shortlisted for the award on 14 December, which will take place at the Hydro in Glasgow.

The Labour MSP says the figures are backing up the story of success, with 250,000 unique visitors spending at least one night in Scotland, but on average spending 5.8 nights.

Ms Ferguson echoes previous contributors saying 93% of visitors rated Scotland a good place to visit.

Food Secretary Richard Lochhead launched the Year of Food and Drink in Edinburgh in November.

It is being supported by VisitScotland and will include a new TV advert which will be shown across the UK.

Scotland's food and drink tourism industry is estimated to be worth £2.5m a day to the economy.

Image source, Thinkstock

The TV advert will feature iconic images of Scotland such as the Isle of Rum, Eilean Donan Castle and the Ring of Brodgar, as well as berry-picking in Perthshire, seafood from North Berwick and entertainment from the Speyside Whisky Festival.

The Year of Food and Drink is aimed at raising awareness of Scotland's restaurants, hotels, food and drink producers, B&Bs, cafes and visitor attractions.

Scottish Conservative MSP Cameron Buchanan praises the success of the Edinburgh Festival, as he closes for his party.

The government needs to secure the legacy from 2014, says Mr Buchanan.

It is important the momentum of the success of 2014 is carried forward, particularly capitalising on the increased interest in sport.

The Conservative MSP says the Scottish government's rating scheme will hit rural tourism and lead to an increase in prices for tourists and asks that the issue be addressed.

He then says the 2015 Year of Food and Drink is the perfect opportunity to build on the momentum of 2014.

Last year was the 80 year anniversary of hotel manageress Mrs Aldie Mackay's first reported sighting of a "whale-like fish" in the waters of Loch Ness.

An academic at St Andrew's University trawled through 1,000 eye-witness accounts since to see what they can tell us.

He wryly noted more than a few hotel proprietors among typical spotters. So is "Nessie" just a conspiracy to boost tourism?

Image source, Undiscovered Scotland

Desperate Dan - the most famous comic character of all time according to some Dundonians - was immortalised in Dundee, the city of his "birth" in 2001.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is leading the way in building on this year's success, with the news today that it sold almost half of its tickets for next year's show in a matter of hours.

Tickets for the three week run went on sale at 10:00 on Monday and by lunchtime more than a 100,000 had been sold.

The event - which will feature 1,200 performers from five continents - will have an east meets west theme in 2015.

The Tattoo, which runs between 7 and 29 August, plans to target audiences in China and India.

MSP after MSP says 2014 has been a success for tourism in Scotland in what is turning out to be an extremely consensual approach.

Here are some images of tourist attractions which are likely to have benefited from such a strong year for the industry:

Image source, Visit Scotland

Eilean Donan castle is one of Scotland's iconic images and is situated at the point where three sea lochs meet in the Scottish Highlands.

Image source, Walter Baxter

According to the West Highland Way website, external the 154Km (96miles) West Highland Way begins at Milngavie passes through Mugdock Country Park, follows the shores of Loch Lomond, passing Ben Lomond, through Glen Falloch and Strathfillan, crossing Rannoch Moor.

It then goes past Buachaille Etive Mor to the head of Glencoe, climbing the Devil's Staircase, descending to the Loch Leven before entering Lairigmor and Glen Nevis and finishes at Gordon Square in Fort William.

Image source, Andrew Milligan/PA

Glaswegian sculptor Andy Scott created the Kelpies, which are two 30m-tall horse heads made of steel, now standing alongside the Forth and Clyde Canal near Falkirk.

They started off as a drawing on his Dutch girlfriend's kitchen table in Amsterdam and after eight "tortuous" years they are finally built and open to the public.

The £5m Kelpies are the centrepiece of the 740-acre Helix Park, which has been built on reclaimed scrubland between Falkirk and Grangemouth and they are already becoming one of Scotland's most photographed landmarks.