A record number of free central heating systems have been installed in the homes of the elderly, the Scottish Government announced today.

A record number of free central heating systems have been installed in the homes of the elderly, the Scottish Government announced today.

The government's central heating programme was set up in 2001 to provide free systems for those aged over 60.

A total of 14,377 central heating systems were installed as part of the scheme in 2007-08.

Communities minister Stewart Maxwell said Scottish Gas had delivered 14,205 systems, while local authorities had delivered 172.

And he added that total was the highest number ever delivered to private homes by the programme.

The scheme had attracted criticism late last year, after the waiting list reached more than 10,000.

Following that ministers pledged £7 million to speed up the installation rate.

And today they said the waiting list had fallen from around 11,300 in November to 9,300 by the end of March.

Over the same period the number of elderly people waiting more than nine months for a system to be installed has dropped from more than 1,350 to 800.

Mr Maxwell added that the Warm Deal scheme had also meant insulation had been installed in 5,259 houses.

He said: "As these record figures for central heating installations illustrate, we've made the schemes inherited from the previous administration work as well as they can.

"This government invested additional resources in the central heating and Warm Deal programmes, and as a result we have delivered the highest recorded number of systems installed in private homes.

"Upwards of 2,000 more households have benefited from the extra investment and waiting times have been cut, particularly for those waiting longest."