Ensuring Scotland's markets are competitive and fair
We want to ensure that Scotland's markets are competitive and fair to consumers. Where this isn't the case, we will work with stakeholders to decide how to address the concerns.
We are developing a competition policy that identifies where a lack of competition may be putting Scottish consumers or businesses at a disadvantage. At the same time, we recognise that competition in itself may not be the best tool for ensuring markets work well, so we aim to strike the right balance between competition and regulation. Where necessary, we will ensure that regulatory decisions and initiatives recognise consumer priorities.
We are supporting competition and fairness by:
- ensuring our policies do not adversely affect competition in markets
- working with the Competition and Markets Authority to ensure competition issues affecting Scottish markets are raised at a UK level
- developing a Scottish Competition Advisory Forum to bring together market and business experts to advise us on competition policy
- encouraging a collaborative approach to regulation that takes the views of Scottish consumers into account