Orkney and Shetland
Liberal Democrats

News

Carmichael warns against lax regulation of energy company actions on meters

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has today called on ministers to keep a “close eye” on energy companies in order to protect vulnerable families. Speaking during an Urgent Question in Parliament relating to concerns about households being unfairly forced to switch to pre-payment meters – which generally cost more per unit than other payment methods – Mr Carmichael highlighted the related issue found in the Northern Isles of companies refusing to connect meters to new build homes.

23 Jan 2023
View

Northern Isles representatives welcome signing of Islands Growth Deal

Orkney and Shetland’s parliamentary representatives Alistair Carmichael MP, Liam McArthur MSP and Beatrice Wishart MSP have welcomed the signing today of the Islands Growth Deal in Kirkwall. The agreement will see £100 million invested by the UK and Scottish governments between Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, with a further investment of £293 million expected from public and private stakeholders, aiming at boosting growth and jobs, including in new green technologies and the creative industries. Up to 1300 jobs are expected to be created by the agreement.

20 Jan 2023
View

Carmichael recognises Fair Isle ferry funding in Parliament

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has today in Parliament welcomed the announcement of funding for the replacement Fair Isle ferry, but called for assurances that Orkney Islands Council would receive the same support and feedback from the Levelling Up department in renewing its bid for funds in the future.

19 Jan 2023
View

New Fair Isle ferry funding a success for local campaigners – Carmichael

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has welcomed news this evening that local campaigners for a new Fair Isle ferry have secured Levelling Up Fund support for the replacement vessel. Following a bid by Shetland Islands Council with support from the local community, £26.8m is to be allocated to provide a new, lifeline roll-on, roll-off ferry for Fair Isle.

18 Jan 2023
View

Carmichael raises challenges with data-deficient monkfish in fisheries debate

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has today called on ministers to acknowledge the frustration faced by fishermen that valuable monkfish stocks are still regarded as “data-deficient”. Data-deficient species of fish pose greater challenges for the setting of quotas, as the lack of information on numbers makes it hard to reasonably reflect the potential catch in fishing grounds. Monkfish is a key stock for Scottish and in particular Shetland fishermen.

18 Jan 2023
View

Carmichael speaks out against “slapdash” scrapping of EU law

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has stated that he will oppose the Retained EU Law Bill when it comes to Parliament on Wednesday, 18th January. The Bill empowers the government to review, change or delete at least 3,800 regulations introduced during the UK’s membership of the EU by the end of this year, covering a wide range of areas from health and safety to workers’ rights. The government’s self-imposed “sunset clause” means that ministers have until the end of this year to go through all European legislation on the statute books and choose which will be revised, replaced or rejected entirely.

16 Jan 2023
View

Orkney Tractor Run success recognised in Parliament

The success of the Orkney Tractor Run 2022 has been recognised in Parliament this week. Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael lodged a parliamentary motion congratulating the organisers for the event and highlighting donations which have surpassed £28,000, to be split between Orkney Blide Trust and Orkney Heart Support Group.

13 Jan 2023
View

Passport fees to increase from February

Islanders have been warned this week that passport fees will be increased by the government, starting from 2 February, and to consider early renewal of passports if they are close to expiry. Northern Isles MP Alistair Carmichael made the call following severe delays in passport renewals through 2022, which left many people across the UK waiting over ten weeks to receive their passports during the summer peak.

12 Jan 2023
View

News from Orkney and Shetlands MSPs

General News and Press Releases

McArthur calls for clarity on funding for youth unemployment scheme

Orkney’s MSP, Liam McArthur, has called on the Scottish Government to urgently confirm the allocation of future funding for regional Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) groups, whose annual funding allocation, due to end on March 31, is yet to be renewed

25 Mar 2023
View
G-LMRA ATR-42-500 Loganair LCY 12.2.20, by Colin Cooke, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/)
General News and Press Releases

McArthur responds to union ballots on HIAL pay offer

Responding to the announcement that staff-members at Highlands and Islands Airport Ltd. (HIAL) balloted by Prospect and Unite trade unions have voted to accept an enhanced pay offer from HIAL, Orkney MSP Liam McArthur has said:

25 Mar 2023
View

Orcadian Column, 23 March 2023

My hope had been to use this column to reflect on another hugely successful Orkney Youth Awards, showcasing the astonishing extent and variety of youth volunteering in our islands.

23 Mar 2023
View
General News and Press Releases

McArthur backs Marie Curie Great Daffodil Appeal 2023

Orkney's MSP, Liam McArthur, has praised the invaluable support provided by Marie Curie nurses and volunteers in Orkney and across Scotland as part of this year's Great Daffodil Appeal which seeks to raise funds for frontline services.

15 Mar 2023
View

This website uses cookies

Like most websites, this site uses cookies. Some are required to make it work, while others are used for statistical or marketing purposes. If you choose not to allow cookies some features may not be available, such as content from other websites. Please read our Cookie Policy for more information.

Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the website to function properly.
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website.
Marketing cookies are used by third parties or publishers to display personalized advertisements. They do this by tracking visitors across websites.