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Publication - Advice and guidance

Subsidy control: guidance

Last updated
20 December 2024 - see all updates
Directorate
Economic Development Directorate
Topic
Public sector

Guidance to help public sector bodies to understand and comply with subsidy control.

Supporting documents

Contact information

Our Subsidy Control Team (SCT) acts as the Scottish interface on subsidy control and offers a range of assistance to help Scottish public bodies understand and comply with subsidy control rules. 

For specific advice on subsidy control rules and procedures that might impact on planned public funding for the following areas, please email: subsidycontrol@gov.scot.

  • European structural funds
  • research, development and innovation
  • investment and industries
  • enterprise and cities
  • financial strategy and fiscal responsibility
  • agriculture and rural development
  • animal health and welfare
  • food and drink
  • rural communities
  • fisheries and aquaculture
  • environment and forestry
  • local government
  • energy, environmental protection and low carbon economy
  • climate change and water industry
  • digital strategy and programmes (including broadband)
  • employability, skills and lifelong learning
  • tourism and major events
  • culture and creative industries
  • transport (aviation, freight, canals, rail, trunk roads and bus operations)
  • major inland transport infrastructure projects
  • planning and architecture
  • third sector, health and social care
  • housing supply, services and regeneration, housing sustainability and innovative funding
  • sport and physical activity

For general enquiries, website maintenance, European Commission and WTO reports, email: subsidycontrol@gov.scot.

For Subsidy Control transparency and reporting, email: subsidycontrol.transparency@gov.scot.

Address any written communications to:

Subsidy Control Team
Scottish Government
Directorate for Economic Development
3rd Floor, 5 Atlantic Quay
150 Broomielaw
Glasgow, G2 8LU

Contact

subsidycontrol@gov.scot

First published
22 September 2022
Last updated
20 December 2024 - show all updates

  1. Text updates throughout and Commercial Market Operator Principle section added.

  2. Updated wording for transparency requirement, threshold information.

  3. Updated transparency reporting template, notification of scheme template and MFA and SPEIA transparency reporting spreadsheet.

  4. Text updates throughout, added new pages 'subsidy schemes' and 'challenging subsidy decisions', updated transparency reporting template, notification of scheme template and added scheme document template.

  5. Updated 'Overview', 'Minimal Financial Subsidies' and 'The Subsidy Control Act'.

  6. Updated 'Subsidy control - guidance: transparency reporting template' and 'Subsidy control - guidance: MFA and EPEIA transparency reporting spreadsheet'.

  7. Updated all pages and all supporting documents to reflect the new Subsidy Control Regime going live.

  8. Updated Subsidy Control Act to reflect the new permanent UK Subsidy Control regime, which will commence 4 January 2023.

  9. Updated Determining if a subsidy and Transparency requirements. Removed Transparency reporting guidance.

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