KATE Forbes has said soaring energy prices in the UK should be "fixed at source" as she called on the Scottish and UK Governments to “work together constructively” on the issue.
The Scottish Finance Secretary told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme a lot of firms were struggling because of high energy costs.
She said support around the energy crisis must come from the UK Government as "a lot of the levers' are reserved to Westminster.
She said: “I think governments, Scottish and UK governments, have to work together constructively because a lot of the levers, particularly around energy, are reserved.”
The SNP minister said Holyrood has announced support for firms to help them recover “but in terms of the cumulative costs, particularly around energy, that will need to come from the UK Government because energy is ultimately regulated".
READ MORE: Why food policy should be a core issue in this May’s council elections
“We are a country that is rich in energy production, rich in energy potential and yet we’re seeing businesses struggle, we’re seeing more people in fuel poverty, so absolutely needs to be fixed at source.
“Cash at this stage is important, and we will do that, we will try and reduce the cumulative costs on business, but ultimately it needs to be fixed at source.”
Asked if the Government in Edinburgh would give ground on areas which they might not normally, Forbes said: “I don’t know how much ground you can give when a policy like energy is fully reserved.
“So this is not about how we meet halfway. This is about the fact that all the rules, the regulations, and the powers in their entirety over energy, reside with the UK Government. And so regulation has got to come from them.”
The Finance Secretary also said while her package of support to help Scots with the cost-of-living crisis was not perfect it was “a question of how we deliver support quickly to families”.
Forbes told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland that she didn’t think plans to give £150 rebate to most council taxpayers in the country was a “perfect scheme” but that “it needed to be seen in the context of more targeted support”.
“Ultimately this is a question of how we deliver support quickly to families who needed it yesterday,” she told Good Morning Scotland on Friday.
“We could design a perfect scheme that would take a number of months to deliver, but my priority is to try to get that money out of the door quickly.”
READ MORE: Millions of Scots to get cash boost as Kate Forbes announces cost-of-living aid
The proposal has been criticised by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Poverty Alliance, who said more support should have been targeted at low-income households.
The SNP MSP told the broadcaster there were other benefits available to help those most in need as the cost of living crisis bites, including a winter support fund and a boost to the child payment.
She said the council tax rebate will reach those who might not need it “but it is the only route we have to make sure we reach those for whom it will make a difference quickly and simply”.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel