Current status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 13 July 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers by Stephen Gethins to questions S7W-00644 and S7W-00793 on 3 and 11 June 2026 respectively, for what reason it has not provided the information that was requested regarding whether it supports the introduction of zonal pricing in the electricity market, and what specific evidence it has relied upon in forming its position; whether it will now do so, and whether it considers that the responses provided met the commitment set out in paragraph 1.7(d) of the Scottish Ministerial Code 2025 edition, which states that “Ministers should be as open as possible with the Parliament and the public, reflecting the aspirations set out in the Report of the Consultative Steering Group on the Scottish Parliament”, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
As I set out in my previous response, the UK Government did not provide a detailed policy design or a full assessment of the potential impacts of zonal pricing on consumers, communities and businesses in Scotland.
We engaged with a broad range of stakeholders and noted that the available evidence on the impact of introducing zonal pricing was mixed. Some organisations highlighted the potential for zonal pricing to reduce electricity costs in parts of Scotland – but this would not materialise for another 10 years. Renewable energy developers and wider industry stakeholders raised significant concerns about the potential impact on investor confidence and associated risk premium which could erode any benefit.
Given these competing considerations, and the absence of a clear, evidence-based policy framework from the UK Government, the Scottish Government has not adopted a formal position either in support of or against the introduction of zonal pricing. Rather the Scottish Government calls on the UK Government to take immediate action to reduce the high cost of energy bills today – for example through introducing a social tariff.
The responses provided to previous questions reflect this position and are in line with the commitment in the Scottish Ministerial Code to be as open as possible with Parliament, setting out both the limits of the available evidence and the basis on which the Scottish Government has engaged on this issue.