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Taking action to reduce rural fuel prices - for the Inverness Courier

TO the surprise of some, the Scottish Liberal Democrats gathered for our Autumn conference in Dunfermline at the weekend in large numbers and with a positive sense of purpose.

Our members in Scotland understand that, by entering a coalition government at this time of enormous financial challenges for our country, we will have to face some very hard decisions.

Nobody comes into politics to make cuts, but we are determined that we will take the action that is necessary to secure a fairer and more prosperous future for Scotland.

We came into govern-ment in May not because it was the easy option, but because it was right for two parties to come together to take responsibility for putting the country back on to an even keel.

There is no comfort to be had in carping from the sidelines at times like these — it does nothing to change the reality of the situation we are in.

It is a testament to the public’s appreciation of that fact that Scottish Liberal Democrat mem-bership has risen by almost one fifth this year, with much of that increase coming since the coalition was formed.Of course, being in government does not just entail having to face up to the dangers presented by the size of our budget deficit.

It is also a positive opportunity to make progress on issues that have been denied the attention that they merit for many years.

One such issue is the severe impact which sky high fuel prices have on remote rural com-munities — something which I have raised, alongside colleagues from the Highlands and Islands, on a very regular basis since I was elected to Parliament five years ago.

We have long argued that families and busi-nesses in remote and island Britain face a ‘triple whammy’ from fuel costs.

Pump prices are considerably higher, frequently by 15 to 20 pence per litre and sometimes by more at the smallest independent filling stations. Regular journeys to access basic services are unavoidably longer. And alternatives to road transport by private car are very limited if they exist at all.

I was pleased to be able to announce at the weekend that the Government will now take steps towards action on this issue.

Treasury officials will approach the European Commission to obtain approval for a pilot scheme to allow a fuel duty discount of up to 5p for the Outer and Inner Hebrides, Orkney, Shet-land and the Scilly Isles. The discount will not cancel out the increased price which those island communities face, but it will help.

There are still significant hurdles to clear at European level, but I believe we will be able to persuade our neighbours that the pilot scheme is justified. I do not intend to give up until we succeed.

A successful pilot should help to deal with many of the objections which have been raised to this idea by previous governments so that it can be extended to remote communities on the mainland too.

I am determined that the Coalition Government will continue to address the needs of all parts of our country, not just the densely populated exist-ing centres of economic gravity.

Posted on: 12/10/2010