Chamber and committees

Section 36 proposals are assessed on their individual merits and proposals on peat are obliged to use the carbon calculator. This provides a view of carbon payback time which is taken account of in Ministers’ decisions, alongside other material considerations.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s current work on the carbon calculator was already in hand before the completion of the Carbon Landscapes and Drainage surveys.

On behalf of Scottish Government, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency maintains and updates the carbon assessment tool. The tool is available to use on our website for developers of section 36 wind farm applications.

This can be a material consideration among other material considerations in decision making in terms of the predicted or estimated positive or detrimental impact. In instances where the consideration of the carbon assessment is of particular significance Scottish Ministers will ask the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to validate the applicant’s carbon assessment.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is currently turning the existing Excel-based carbon calculator into an online tool. There may scope for wider engagement at some stage in this process.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency validates calculations for section 36 cases to be determined by Scottish Ministers.

The communities referred to in the statement as being potentially affected by the UK government's early closure of the renewables obligation for onshore wind relate to the following three Falck renewables wind Ltd projects: Auchrobert in South Lanarkshire, Mochram Fell in Dumfries and Galloway, and Spaldington Airfield in Yorkshire.However, other communities will potentially be impacted. A statement issued by community energy Scotland on 15 July 2015 outlines clearly the direct impact on communities of the UK government's recent announcements on support for renewable energy. The statement is available on the Community Energy website at the following link:

http://www.communityenergyscotland.org.uk/news/15-jul-2015-uk-government-energy-policies-hit-community-groups-hard.asp

Barnett consequentials accruing to the Scottish Government are added to the total funding available to Scottish Ministers. It is then for Scottish Ministers to decide how the totality of the resources available to them should be allocated across all devolved spending programmes.

During the period April 2007 to March 2015, the Scottish Government has invested over £6 billion in rail services in Scotland. This has supported an increase of 14% in passenger journeys (33% in the last decade) to over 86 million through new and better ScotRail services, new tracks, six new stations and the electrification of the Airdrie-Bathgate, Paisley Canal, Cumbernauld and Whifflet routes.

A further £5 billion programme has been committed to 2019, which includes the re-opening of the Borders railway line, delivery of new electrified routes between Glasgow and Edinburgh via Falkirk High and Shotts and to Stirling, Alloa and Dunblane, as well as substantial improvements between Aberdeen and Inverness and between Inverness and the central belt.

Energy Skills Scotland will play a key role in driving forward the implementation of the SIP priorities and action plan, which include improving the promotion of science, technology and engineering subjects, addressing the gender imbalance within the energy sector, and increasing work experience and placement opportunities.

Key successes to date in supporting the skills transition to wind energy and renewables more broadly include support from the Energy Skills Partnership (ESP) for the development of wind turbine technicians training at a number of hubs across Scotland. ESP provided support in 2014-15 for more than 80 students in renewable energy work readiness activities such as ‘Working at Heights’, and support from SDS in 2014-15 for 278 modern apprentices to undertake specific units in emergent and renewable technologies.