Stewart Stevenson Backs Scotland's Island Communities

SNP MSP for Banffshire & Buchan Coast, Stewart Stevenson, has backed strengthening Scotland’s island communities.

Mr Stevenson spoke during a debate on supporting and strengthening Scotland’s island communities. Mr Stevenson recognised the valuable economic and cultural contribution of Scotland’s islands. He went on to emphasise the need to promote unique solutions for the unique circumstances of Scotland’s island communities.

Commenting, Stewart Stevenson MSP said,

“Our islands are, economically, one of the most valuable parts of Scotland. One need only consider that much of our fishing grounds and access to oil and gas is gained from our offshore economic area – our islands are directly responsible for much of that.

“We need to return value to our islands. We do that by supporting and strengthening them. One way of doing that might be through aviation transport. This could be done by changing restrictions on single-engine aircraft or we could exempt small island aircraft from having to pay VAT on aviation gas. In Norway, single-engine aircraft operate full services in instrument conditions – this is the kind of transformative thinking our islands should lead on.

“I’m glad we’re taking the next step toward strengthening our island communities. I’ve travelled to many of our populated islands and enjoyed the unique culture they had to offer. There is an immense amount of potential in our island communities and I believe this process will help unlock even more of it.”