Members' Business — S6M-11927 Gordon MacDonald: Gas and Electricity Standing Charges

That the Parliament understands that standing charges are the fixed component of customers’ energy bills, and that Ofgem, the energy regulator for Great Britain, has set the maximum standing charge that a supplier can charge a customer at 29.6 pence per day for gas, 62.08 pence per day for electricity in southern Scotland, and 59.38 pence per day for electricity in northern Scotland; further understands that Scottish consumers using both fuels, including those in the Edinburgh Pentlands constituency, could be paying up to £335 per year before they use any power to heat or light their home; believes that Scottish energy users could be paying 61% more in electricity standing charges than people in London, despite Scotland being what it sees as an energy-rich nation and reportedly generating far more electricity than is used domestically; further believes that Scottish customers are being penalised by a complex and unfair charging system, and notes the calls for the UK Government to scrap standing charges and institute a more equitable price structure.