JOHN Swinney has responded to fears around a "smart meter divide" between Scotland and England.
A new investigation by BBC Panorama shed light on the matter earlier this week and found customers in Scotland were more likely to have issues with their smart meters than their English counterparts, making their energy bills higher as a result.
While smart meters in most of England and Wales rely on mobile technology – meaning the signal can be improved by an aerial – in Scotland and northern England they use longer-range radio signals to operate, which can cause issues.
Those who are experiencing issues with their smart meters then have to submit readings to their energy supplier manually, meaning that they receive estimated bills instead, which are less accurate and therefore often more expensive.
SNP MSP Evelyn Tweed questioned the First Minister (below) at Holyrood on Thursday on how the Scottish Government will talk to the UK Government about the disproportionate number of operational issues Scots are experiencing.
He said: "I'm disappointed to hear Scottish energy consumers have been disadvantaged in this way. Given that smart meter rollouts are a reserved matter we regularly raise issues affecting Scottish consumers with the UK Government and we will continue to urge them to take necessary action to ensure all those households in Scotland with smart meters are provided with full network access."
LibDem MSP Liam McArthur then asked Swinney if he would back a regional approach to the rollout of smart meters being as there is disparity between installations nationally and those in places such as Orkney.
McArthur said: "The First Minister rightly addresses the need to improve the communications network but there is already a disparity in the rollout of smart meters that have seen 65% installations nationally as against 20% installations in places like Orkney.
"Would he back a regional approach to the rollout delivered through locally recruited suppliers rather than supplier-led model at the moment which is being delivered through installers that are working for multiple suppliers?"
Swinney said this was an "entirely reasonable proposition" and he would be happy to make sure the issue is raised with the UK Government.
Elsewhere at FMQs, Swinney hit out at Tory "rank hypocrisy" after being scrutinised on the National Care Service being put on hold.
The proposals – which were to centralise adult social care and social work in Scotland – have been delayed until next year amid criticism from councils and trade unions.
The Scottish Greens also announced that they would not support the bill, leading to doubts on whether the National Care Service Bill would ultimately pass.
Introduced in the wake of the Covid pandemic, then first minister Nicola Sturgeon said a National Care Service would be the “most significant” public service reform since the creation of the NHS.
Swinney also defended his Health Secretary Neil Gray after it emerged he had attended three games of Aberdeen FC – the team he supports – at Hampden by invitation of the Scottish Football Association, and was chauffeured there in an official vehicle.
The Health Secretary is expected to make a statement at Holyrood on the issue on Thursday afternoon.
During FMQs, Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay said: “These luxury cars, they’re not free taxis to the football for SNP ministers.
“Neil Gray claims he attended these games to discuss essential Government business.
“He tells us that the social impact investment in sport was on the agenda, this just so happened to be during a major cup tie for the team that he supports.
“In the real world, his excuses lack any credibility – SNP ministers are having us on.”
Swinney responded: "I expect ministers to be engaged with a variety of stakeholders in events and gatherings around the country, whether they are cultural, societal, social or sporting events.
“That has always been the case in every administration in the United Kingdom and I would expect my ministers to do exactly that.”
Swinney went on to say the Health Secretary has undertaken 347 engagements since he took up the job, just five of which were sporting events.
