Many pensioners struggle to heat their homes in winter

A coalition of 13 groups called on the Scottish Parliament to set statutory energy efficiency targets as part of the new housing bill.

MSPs rejected the Scottish Green Party proposal.

However, they approved an amendment requiring ministers to draw up a strategy on the issue.

The Greens wanted a statutory target to improve energy efficiency levels in homes by 20% on 2000 levels by 2010.

This was aimed at permanently lifting households out of fuel poverty and reducing excess winter deaths.

This is a real let down for children and elderly people up and down the country Patrick Harvie Green Party

The party and the new coalition said the targets would have protected the health of some of Scotland's most vulnerable groups, while delivering much-needed cuts in climate-changing pollution.

Green MSP Patrick Harvie, a member of the communities committee which scrutinised the bill at stage 2, said: "This is a real let down for children and elderly people up and down the country.

"It is particularly disappointing since Westminster has introduced a similar target, supported by Tories, Labour and LibDems - why can we not have the same commitment from those parties in Scotland?

"As an exceptionally cold winter approaches, thousands of people who have to live with the misery of struggling to heat their homes now face the prospect of that struggle continuing indefinitely.

"As well as helping vulnerable people heat their homes, this amendment would also have delivered substantial cuts in climate changing emissions."

'Sensible advice'

John Dickie, head of the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, said: "The challenge for the executive now is to demonstrate clearly the action it will take toward ending the fuel poverty that affects 46,000 children across Scotland."

Duncan McLaren, chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "We welcome the commitment to establish an energy efficiency strategy for domestic accommodation.

"However, the executive must ensure this includes ambitious targets for reduction in climate change pollution, and is geared to target Scotland's most vulnerable groups."

Chas Booth, parliamentary officer for the Association for the Conservation of Energy, added: "We are very disappointed that MSPs decided not listen to the sensible advice from the energy efficiency industry.

"Without binding targets, we are left in a position where the industry will not have the confidence to invest.