WEST Fife MP, Thomas Docherty, has urged the UK and Scottish Governments to work together to prepare a new strategy for the oil and gas industry that will guarantee a long term future for the Mossmorran site. Mr Docherty, who took part in a debate called in the House of Commons by the Labour Party, praised the site and its workforce for making an important economic contribution to the local economy and that of Fife.

The Dunfermline & West Fife MP, whose seat includes Crossgates, Hill of Beath and Moss-side, also highlighted the crucial role played by Exxon and Shell in bringing scientific and engineering jobs to the area. He told MPs, “Natural gas is brought ashore at St Fergus, primarily from the Brent field and from the Goldeneye field in the North sea, and is brought down from there in a pipeline that is about 140 miles long—my calculation might be slightly off—to Mossmorran, where it is split.

“The ethane goes across from the Shell plant to the ExxonMobil part of the site, where it is heated to 800° so that it can be cracked, to use the scientific term, and turned into ethylene. Of course, ethylene is a daily part of our lives, as it used in a huge variety of products—perhaps even in the cups we are using.

“That work sustains jobs for more than 200 people, many of whom are my constituents. They will be looking to see that when we talk about long-term sustainability for the oil and gas industry, we make sure that those crucial scientific jobs, which are also highly sought after, often by graduates—in both Parliaments we talk so much about encouraging those sorts of jobs—are protected. We need to see genuine substantive steps to do that for the sake of our constituents and their families.

“I hope that the two Governments will set point scoring aside and get on with standing up for all of our communities, whether they be in Aberdeen, Glasgow, my own area of Fife, or across the border”.

He called on the two Governments to ensure that these highly skilled jobs are protected for years to come.

Speaking after the debate Mr Docherty added, “The Mossmorran site has been providing highly skilled, highly sought after employment for local people for thirty years now.

“It is vital for our local economy that the Westminster and Scottish Governments work with Shell and Exxon to make sure that the site continues to have a bright future.”