SHETLAND COUNCIL CALLS FOR DEVOLUTION OF OIL AND GAS.

SHETLAND COUNCIL CALLS FOR DEVOLUTION OF OIL - GAS.

Highlands & Islands SNP MSP Dave Thompson has welcomed news reports today (Friday) that Shetland Council has called for the consideration of the devolution of control over oil and gas within Scottish waters to the Scottish Parliament. The call was made in their submission to the Calman Commission.

Commenting on the call Mr Thompson said:

“This is a very welcome and positive contribution to the debate. Not only does it show the need for Scotland to benefit from the huge resource of oil and gas off our coasts, but it also shoots another of the London parties’ foxes.

“No longer can UK governments try to divide and rule Scotland in order to hang onto all the oil wealth in London. It shows their attempts to manipulate the position of Shetland and Orkney – as recent secret documents showed – have been rumbled.

“Shetland is an excellent model of how Scotland can benefit from Scotland’s oil and gas wealth.

"As official figures showed, an independent Scotland with our oil and gas reserves would move from being Europe's 10th wealthiest nation to Europe's third wealthiest nation.”