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Publication - Advice and guidance

Subsidy control: guidance

Last updated
17 April 2025 - 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

Overview

From 4 January 2023, public funding became subject to a new, UK-wide subsidy control regime.  The framework for this new regime is provided in the Subsidy Control Act 2022.

As part of this new regime, public authorities, are required to adhere to provisions set out in the Act.  We draw your attention to Statutory Guidance published by UK Government Department for Business and Trade (DBT) (formerly the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy).  Please be aware this is a living document and may be updated by DBT at regular intervals. 

The Subsidy Control Team will continue to provide updates for Scottish public authorities via this website and our usual stakeholder channels. 

Please note, subsidies given as part of European Structural and Investment Funds are still subject to EU State aid laws until schemes end on 31 December 2023.

Contact

subsidycontrol@gov.scot

First published
22 September 2022
Last updated
17 April 2025 - show all updates

  1. Text updates made throughout and removed 'Subsidy control - guidance: scheme document template' and 'Subsidy control - guidance: energy and environment principles assessment'.

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

  3. Updated wording for transparency requirement, threshold information.

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

  5. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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