Liberal Democrat Energy spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has written to the Enterprise Minister insisting that Ministers engage with Ofgem and UK Ministers and take practical steps to tackle fuel poverty in Scotland.

The Scottish Consumer Council is calling on regulators to do more to address the fact that Scots are less or likely to change energy supplier or bank to get the best deal.

Commenting, Mr McArthur said:

“The SCC study shows that Scots are not taking advantage of the best deals for banking and energy suppliers. This trend is most apparent in rural areas and is extremely worrying given the high levels of fuel poverty in Scotland.

“I have written to the Enterprise Minister reminding him that the Scottish Parliament voted overwhelming for a motion that recognised the importance of support for those organisations that provided advice and support about energy.

“Early engagement with Ofgem and UK Ministers must form part of the Scottish Government’s strategy for fuel poverty. The Scottish Government’s record of engagement with Westminster and Ofgem on fuel poverty issues is hardly impressive. Indeed my request for Scottish Ministers to work cooperatively to secure a windfall levy on energy companies was met with a disappointingly lacklustre response from the Scottish Government.

“I hope that this plea for cooperative working to help Scottish families struggling to cope with rocketing energy prices will be met with a more enthusiastic response and action plan.”