To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, pursuant to the reply of 12 April, what his Department has done in the past to encourage the Eastcroft district heating scheme in Nottingham.

The Eastcroft scheme has been in operation for some 15 years and is well-established. In 1986 my Department was informed of problems faced by tenants served by the scheme and was asked to support an investigation. Such a study would have added little to the existing knowledge of CHP in general. However, the operators were advised that grant aid might be available, under the energy efficiency survey scheme, towards certain of the costs involved. Nottingham city council has now applied for a grant under this scheme and its application is being considered.