Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-12934 on 5 March 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-13322 on 13 March 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The information requested is not held centrally.

District heating schemes provide the infrastructure to supply heat from a range of sources. The source can be heat only or can be a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant which also generates electricity.

There is also a wide variety of district heating models, with the largest number being small-scale networks in rural areas, mainly heat only networks using woodfuel. A small number of large systems supply much larger numbers of properties, typically using heat from produced by gas-fired CHP plants.

I would therefore suggest it is more helpful to refer to typical examples of the different models:

typical examples of smaller-scale district heating supply a few buildings up to a few hundred properties with heat. Many are woodfuelled heat only systems such as on farms and estates (case studies are available from the Usewoodfuel website www.usewoodfuel.co.uk/using-woodfuel/case-studies/woodfuel-in-practice-farms-and-estates.aspx) or social housing schemes such as Albyn Housing’s Aviemore North scheme (www.usewoodfuel.co.uk/using-woodfuel/case-studies/starnewstar-albyn-housing-society-district-heating.aspx).

typical examples of large-scale district heating are networks supplied by gas-fired CHP such as Aberdeen Heat & Power’s district heating scheme (www.aberdeenheatandpower.co.uk) and the University of Edinburgh’s campus networks, or by Energy from Waste CHP in Shetland (www.sheap-ltd.co.uk).

The most recent data published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) shows in 2011, there were 116 Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants in Scotland. The Scottish Government does not hold data on the output of individual plants.

A financial memorandum is being developed in collaboration with stakeholders, including Convention Of Scottish Local Authorities and will include estimated costs of implementing legislative proposals on early learning and childcare. It will be introduced along with the Children and Young People Bill, at which point funding and the impact on spending review plans can be fully considered.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-13067 on 8 March 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-13067 on 8 March 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise remain committed to supporting the development of locations that will attract offshore wind supply chain. The National Renewables Infrastructure Fund remains £70 million. Investment in projects will be assessed on the economic impact of the project and the need for public sector investment.

National Renewables Infrastructure Fund is one of the linchpins to the Scottish Government’s effort to develop an offshore wind sector in Scotland. Initial economic assessment indicates that a cumulative gross value added of £7.1 billion would be achievable if wind farm development proceeds and Scotland secures supply chain opportunities.