Scottish Parliament – March 11, 2025 – 1

S6M-16750.3: As an amendment to motion S6M-16750 in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville (Supporting Households with Cost of Living Pressures and Rising Energy Bills), leave out from “welcomes” to end and insert “notes the ongoing concerns amongst the Scottish business community about the effects of the widening tax differential between Scotland and the rest of the UK;

further notes the failure of both the UK Government and the Scottish Government to prioritise policies that will deliver sustained economic growth, investment in infrastructure and more efficient public services, and calls on the Scottish Government to take a balanced approach to net zero, which includes supporting Scotland’s oil and gas industry and ending policies that worsen cost of living pressures.”

Original motion(S6M-16750): That the Parliament notes that Ofgem’s energy price cap has soared to £1,849 for the average household, which is the third increase in a row and 9.4% (£159) higher than this time last year;

recognises that this will compound cost of living pressures for households across Scotland;

welcomes the Scottish Government’s action in the recently passed Budget (Scotland) (No. 4) Bill, including the reintroduction of universal winter fuel payments for pensioners and through energy efficiency programmes;

believes that reforming energy markets and harnessing Scotland’s renewable potential will bolster energy security and, in turn, reduce consumer bills, and calls on the UK Government to make urgent progress on delivering its commitment to reduce bills by £300, against which no progress has yet been made.