Scottish Secretary to be quizzed on high fuel prices during visit

Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy will be quizzed on how fuel prices can be lowered when he pays a visit to Shetland next week.

Mr Murphy will be in the isles on Thursday 27th August to discuss the high cost of petrol and diesel at the pumps among other issues with senior council figures.

Speaking at Tuesday’s council media briefing SIC chief David Clark said he would be “tentative” about how he raised the issue of fuel costs, but admitted it would be on his agenda.

Mr Murphy was at the centre of recent controversy over fuel prices when The Press and Journal reported island communities in Argyll and Bute would benefit from a pilot scheme to make fuel cheaper.

There was outrage locally as it emerged Shetland would not be included in the scheme, although Mr Murphy later denied ever suggesting the scheme should take place at all.

Other subjects up for discussion will be the cost of the interconnector cable and Shetland’s poor broadband connections.

The meeting was made possible after Mr Clark met him at a function in Edinburgh. “I said I wanted to raise the profile of Shetland with national government. He said he had never been in Shetland himself and said he would very much like to come. We will demonstrate we are trying to actively pursue our agenda at national government level.”