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Every contribution to the Official Report — chamber and committee — searchable in one place. Pulled from data.parliament.scot, indexed for full-text search, linked through to every MSP.

129
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2,354,908
Hansard contributions
1999–2026
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Showing 60 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.
The Convener Con Committee
10 May 2022
Energy Price Rises
Thank you for those opening remarks, which set the scene very well. We move on to questions and answers; I will ask a couple of questions before I bring in other colleagues. In your opening remarks, you mentioned that Ofgem will introduce new measures to boost financial resil...
The Convener Con Committee
11 May 2022
Energy Price Rises
In other evidence that the committee has heard, there has been speculation that the wholesale price of gas will remain high for the foreseeable future for the reasons that you mentioned in your opening remarks, such as global issues that are outwith our control. What action wi...
Dean Lockhart Con Chamber
19 Apr 2017
Scotland’s Economy
The Scottish Government’s own chief economist confirmed to the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee last year that “all levers that impact on the underlying competitiveness of the economy”—Official Report, Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee, 29 November 2016; c 14. now l...
Dean Lockhart (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con Chamber
04 Feb 2020
Topical Question Time · Gross Domestic Product (Revised Estimate)
In his answer, the cabinet secretary referred to North Sea oil. The oil price today is below $55 a barrel, which is less than half the price that the SNP forecast in the white paper on independence. Will the cabinet secretary now acknowledge that he and his colleagues got it f...
The Convener Con Committee
30 Nov 2021
Fuel Poverty Strategy
Thank you, cabinet secretary—that is very helpful indeed. You mentioned the recent price increases in the energy market, which have generated a lot of headlines. Can you talk us through your perspective on how those price increases have impacted on fuel poverty levels in Scot...
The Convener Con Committee
19 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Our next agenda item is the first evidence session in our inquiry into increasing energy prices. The recent significant increases in wholesale and domestic energy prices have quite rightly received a lot of attention in recent weeks, and they are causing real concerns for many...
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Our second panel this morning is made up of energy producers and suppliers. Keith Anderson, chief executive officer, ScottishPower, is joining us in person—good morning, Mr Anderson. I also welcome to the meeting Dan Alchin, director of regulation, Energy UK and Ross Dornan, m...
The Convener Con Committee
17 May 2022
Energy Price Rises
Welcome back. The next agenda item is our last evidence session of our inquiry into energy price increases. The inquiry is looking at the steep rise in energy prices—what is driving it, what impact it is having and what can be done to alleviate it. We will hear from Michael M...
Dean Lockhart (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con Chamber
31 May 2016
Taking Scotland Forward: Economy
Today, we have had a robust, lively and generally constructive debate on the fundamental need to have a strong economy to support our public services. I thank the cabinet secretary, Keith Brown—I also congratulate him on his appointment—for bringing such an important motion to...
Dean Lockhart (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con Chamber
20 Sep 2016
Economy (EU Referendum)
That is understood. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I welcome Mr Russell to his new role. I also welcome the opportunity to be involved in a debate with Mr Brown, despite the fact that he never really answers the questions that we ask him. As expected, we have had a lively and...
Dean Lockhart Con Chamber
20 Sep 2016
Economy (EU Referendum)
We have made our position quite clear. Interruption. Yes, we have. The real issue—if SNP members will allow me to answer—is the level of access to the single market and terms on which that access is negotiated. That can be a bespoke agreement. The United Kingdom is the second-...
Dean Lockhart Con Committee
25 Oct 2016
“Supporting Scotland’s economic growth”
I guess that those numbers will include an oil price.
Dean Lockhart Con Committee
07 Dec 2016
Scottish Growth Forecasts
Your report highlights a number of concerns surrounding the recent performance of the Scottish economy. Pages 17 to 19 highlight concerns such as falling international exports, flat GDP, rising economic inactivity and low job creation rates. Can you explain to us, as far as po...
Dean Lockhart Con Chamber
29 Mar 2017
SinoFortone and China Railway No 3 Engineering Group Memorandum of Understanding
Perhaps I will give way later. Chinese companies have experience of investing across the world. In progressing this potential investment in Scotland they would, quite rightly, have expected a degree of competence from the SNP Government. Instead, after a few months of dealing...
Dean Lockhart Con Chamber
13 Dec 2017
Finance
I think that the member will find that the forecast growth for the UK economy is still significantly higher than the forecast growth for the Scottish economy under her Government. Secondly, the SNP’s mismanagement of public services means that, despite increasing Barnett cons...
Dean Lockhart Con Committee
02 Oct 2018
Publicly Owned Energy Company
In order to achieve a meaningful impact on the market and make a difference to consumers, presumably the energy company will require scale in terms of being able to influence the market and influence price, which in turn will require significant investment, both in set-up cost...
The Convener Con Committee
05 Oct 2021
Committee Priorities
My final question is about the expected price implication for consumer bills as a result of bailing out energy supply companies that have collapsed. I know that there are discussions about a bad bank and about how the old liabilities of the failed companies will be dealt with....
The Convener Con Committee
19 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Thank you for that comprehensive answer, Dr Hannon. You have set the scene well, and I am sure that we will pick up on a number of those points. I put the same question to Tim Lord.
The Convener Con Committee
19 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
That is great, Tim. Thank you very much for those insights. I think that you have anticipated one of our questions, which is on how to deal with some of the challenges. Dr Lowes, I put the same question to you.
The Convener Con Committee
19 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Thank you. The panel has set out a great number of issues that committee members will want to explore. My follow-up question is about the best policy response. What policy response would you like to see from the Scottish Government and the UK Government to deal with the short...
The Convener Con Committee
19 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Thank you for that, Dr Hannon. I know that some of my colleagues want to address those issues after me. I put the same question to Tim Lord.
The Convener Con Committee
19 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
I put the same question to Dr Lowes.
The Convener Con Committee
19 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
The opening remarks have covered a huge number of interesting issues. I will now bring in other committee members.
The Convener Con Committee
19 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Thanks very much. I now bring in Mark Ruskell.
The Convener Con Committee
19 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Monica Lennon has a supplementary question.
The Convener Con Committee
19 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
I bring in Natalie Don, who joins us remotely.
The Convener Con Committee
19 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
We are running slightly behind, but I would appreciate it if I could ask one final question of Tim Lord. One of the requirements that you mention in relation to mobilising private capital to finance retrofitting and decarbonisation in the short term is the development of what...
The Convener Con Committee
19 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Thank you very much, Tim, and thank you, Dr Hannon and Dr Lowes. That brings us to the end of our allocated time. It has been an excellent session—you have raised a number of challenges and a number of potential solutions. We very much appreciate your time this morning. We wil...
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Our next agenda item is our second evidence session in our inquiry into energy prices. We are looking into what is driving the increase in energy prices, what impact it is having and what can be done to alleviate that. Today, we will hear from two panels. The first panel will ...
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
You raise a number of points that members will want to come in on, which go beyond the availability of advice. I will bring in Frazer Scott and then Alastair Wilcox on the question of advice.
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Thank you very much for that perspective. I address the same question to Alastair Wilcox.
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
I have a supplemental question about issues that have been brought up in the opening remarks. Given the significant increase in demand for your services, which is not surprising, has each of your organisations been able to increase staffing and advice on the subject? Could the...
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
You have covered a number of points that I am sure my colleagues will want to pick up on. I put the same question to Frazer Scott.
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Thank you for that perspective. I put the same question to Chris Birt.
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Before I hand over to Jackie Dunbar, I say to our panel members that, as we still have quite a few members to bring into this very important discussion, if you keep your answers fairly concise, that will mean that we can bring in all members.
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Thank you, Jackie.
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Thank you, Monica. Our final questions will come from Mark Ruskell, who is joining us remotely.
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
That brings us to the end of our allocated time. I thank the witnesses for their comprehensive and insightful contributions to our inquiry into this very important issue. I suspend the meeting briefly for a change of witnesses. 11:17 Meeting suspended. 11:19 On resuming—
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Thanks very much for that comprehensive answer. It is encouraging to hear your view that energy security, decarbonisation and achieving net zero are consistent goals.
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Thank you very much for those remarks. 11:30
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
I have a brief follow-up question. We have a lot of ground to cover, although I appreciate that your opening remarks will have covered some of the issues that my colleagues want to bring up. I am going to ask you all for a forecast. What is the outlook for energy prices in th...
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
I appreciate those thoughts, given that it is so difficult to predict. I would welcome Ross Dornan’s thoughts, and then I will bring in Dan Alchin.
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
I thank Dan Alchin and our other panel members for setting the scene so well.
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Keith Anderson, the margin calls that you mentioned are quite remarkable. There may have been a perception before this crisis that this was a sector of regulated utilities operating in a low-risk environment, but that is clearly not the case. Thank you for that background.
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Next up is Monica Lennon.
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Yes, that is fantastic, Monica. The final set of questions comes from Mark Ruskell, who joins us online.
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Ross, I am afraid—
The Convener Con Committee
26 Apr 2022
Energy Price Rises
Mark, I really do not want to bring the discussion to an end, but we are up against the clock; in fact, we are well over time. That brings us to the end of our allocated time. I thank our panel members for attending, and for their comprehensive insights and recommendations. W...
The Convener Con Committee
10 May 2022
Energy Price Rises
Our next agenda item is an evidence session in our inquiry into the significant increase in energy prices that we have all witnessed in recent months, what is driving the increase, the impact that it is having and what can be done to alleviate the worst impacts of increasing e...
The Convener Con Committee
10 May 2022
Energy Price Rises
You also mentioned in your opening remarks that around 30 energy supplier companies have failed and have had to close shop since early 2021. I believe that the supplier of last resort—SOLR—process has added £2.8 billion to consumer bills, which is on top of the increasing whol...
The Convener Con Committee
10 May 2022
Energy Price Rises
In the banking sector, for example, the Financial Conduct Authority imposes market-risk and capital-adequacy limitations. I know that hindsight is a wonderful thing, but do you think that those capital adequacy and risk buffers should have been in place 24 months ago for new s...
The Convener Con Committee
10 May 2022
Energy Price Rises
The supplier of last resort process has added £2.8 billion to consumer bills. How has that been spread to the average consumer’s bill? Do you have a number on what each domestic consumer will have to contribute in their bills towards the cost of that process?
The Convener Con Committee
10 May 2022
Energy Price Rises
I am sure that other members will want to come back to some of those issues. I will bring in Fiona Hyslop.
The Convener Con Committee
10 May 2022
Energy Price Rises
Liam Kerr has a supplementary question.
The Convener Con Committee
10 May 2022
Energy Price Rises
That is great—thanks. Next up is Jackie Dunbar, to be followed by Monica Lennon. Over to you, please, Jackie.
The Convener Con Committee
10 May 2022
Energy Price Rises
Eleanor Whitham is next up.
The Convener Con Committee
10 May 2022
Energy Price Rises
I have a couple of questions, and there are a couple of supplementaries to follow up on this line of questioning. Going back to the 29 energy companies that have failed over the past 18 months—in some cases because of financial mismanagement in terms of a lack of hedging, whi...
The Convener Con Committee
10 May 2022
Energy Price Rises
I totally understand that, and I appreciate the response. 10:30
The Convener Con Committee
10 May 2022
Energy Price Rises
Fiona Hyslop has the final set of questions.
The Convener Con Committee
10 May 2022
Energy Price Rises
That brings us to the end of our allocated time. I thank both witnesses for giving evidence to the committee this morning. It was very much appreciated. The committee’s scrutiny will continue tomorrow, when we will hear from Greg Hands MP, Minister of State in the Department ...
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Committee

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee 10 May 2022

10 May 2022 · S6 · Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
Item of business
Energy Price Rises
Lockhart, Dean Con Mid Scotland and Fife Watch on SPTV
Thank you for those opening remarks, which set the scene very well. We move on to questions and answers; I will ask a couple of questions before I bring in other colleagues. In your opening remarks, you mentioned that Ofgem will introduce new measures to boost financial resilience in the sector, including financial stress testing for all suppliers and increasing the number of times a year that the price cap can be adjusted. What is the timescale for implementing those new measures? Evidence that has been given to the committee by other stakeholders suggests that the price cap will have to be increased between now and the winter season later this year. Can you talk us through your expectations for the price cap increases that we might see over the next six to 12 months?

In the same item of business

The Convener Con
Our next agenda item is an evidence session in our inquiry into the significant increase in energy prices that we have all witnessed in recent months, what i...
Neil Lawrence (Office of Gas and Electricity Markets)
Thank you very much. As the energy regulator, Ofgem’s job is to protect the interests of energy consumers, and we know that many consumers in Scotland and a...
The Convener Con
Thank you for those opening remarks, which set the scene very well. We move on to questions and answers; I will ask a couple of questions before I bring in o...
Neil Lawrence
Ofgem absolutely recognises that the price rises that we have seen are having a huge impact on consumers, and we really care about that. Our job is to make s...
The Convener Con
You also mentioned in your opening remarks that around 30 energy supplier companies have failed and have had to close shop since early 2021. I believe that t...
Neil Lawrence
First, we must recognise that we have seen absolutely unprecedented rises in wholesale prices: they are 500 per cent more than they were last year. That is t...
The Convener Con
In the banking sector, for example, the Financial Conduct Authority imposes market-risk and capital-adequacy limitations. I know that hindsight is a wonderfu...
Neil Lawrence
The number of suppliers that are coming into the market has dropped dramatically. There were only two new entrants in 2021, and one of those was a pre-accred...
The Convener Con
The supplier of last resort process has added £2.8 billion to consumer bills. How has that been spread to the average consumer’s bill? Do you have a number o...
Neil Lawrence
The cost from the SOLRs to date is £68 per consumer. We must accept that that is absolutely unprecedented. The wholesale price rises last August, September a...
The Convener Con
I am sure that other members will want to come back to some of those issues. I will bring in Fiona Hyslop.
Fiona Hyslop (Linlithgow) (SNP) SNP
Good morning, and thank you for joining us. We have a cost of living crisis that is being made worse by an energy crisis, but we also have a climate crisis....
Neil Kenward (Office of Gas and Electricity Markets)
You have put your finger on the really important long-term aim, which is to achieve the transition to net zero, ensure that it happens smoothly and in the in...
Fiona Hyslop SNP
You will know that, in Scotland, we have an extensive range of renewable assets in generation, and we export much of our renewable electricity. However, your...
Neil Kenward
Our commitment is to getting the net zero transition happening at the lowest cost to consumers. We try to establish rules and the incentives that will ensure...
Fiona Hyslop SNP
Do you acknowledge that National Grid’s plans still penalise Scotland, and that we have people living in fuel poverty in the part of the United Kingdom that ...
Neil Kenward
Fuel poverty is a problem across GB. As my colleague has been saying, we try to establish a least-cost system, but we do not have the ability to introduce ne...
Fiona Hyslop SNP
Are you saying that subsidy issues would be addressed by the UK Government in an energy market to deliver what you wanted?
Neil Kenward
That is right.
Fiona Hyslop SNP
Bearing in mind the recent energy price spikes, is there a case for wholesale energy market reform? You have said that gas is the marginal generation technol...
Neil Kenward
We fully accept that we and the Governments need to look at the current energy market and ensure that it is reformed so that it is fit for the net zero futur...
Fiona Hyslop SNP
How long will that take? People are facing an energy price crisis now. Some of the changes that we need will require wholesale energy market reform. What wou...
Neil Kenward
As I am sure you appreciate, making major changes to wholesale markets—if that is what the Westminster Government chooses to do—is a process that is likely t...
Fiona Hyslop SNP
I am sorry, convener, but I just want to say that there does not seem to be a sense of urgency. During the Covid pandemic, we saw whole-system changes becaus...
Neil Kenward
We are taking steps to make sure that the system works effectively. We are supporting the creation of the new system operator to ensure that it can do the st...
The Convener Con
Liam Kerr has a supplementary question.
Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Con) Con
The deputy convener talked about transmission charges being higher for generators in Scotland, but does that not simply reflect the reality that demand is co...
Neil Kenward
I will not speculate about potential reforms, but the transmission network charges are set up to incentivise the most efficient location of generation. As yo...
The Convener Con
That is great—thanks. Next up is Jackie Dunbar, to be followed by Monica Lennon. Over to you, please, Jackie.
Jackie Dunbar (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP) SNP
Good morning, gentlemen. I will follow what the deputy convener said about the cost of living crisis. I am interested in your thoughts on how that should be ...