Resources could benefit Scots

Sir, – In 2014, before the Scottish independence referendum, Sir Ian Wood, described by David Cameron as “the (oil) industry’s foremost expert”, stated that there are “only 15 years of reserves left (in the North Sea) before its decline starts wreaking major damage on the Scottish economy”.

Since then the oil price has risen to a four-year high in January, several major new oil discoveries have been made in the North Sea – it is predicted that there will be many more – and the regional president of BP said a couple of months ago that the company hoped to double production.

And today I read that the Norwegian national oil fund had another wonderful year in 2017, about £95 billion pounds of profit, bringing the fund up to a massive £750 billion. Yet in 2016, the last reported year, rather than make a profit, the UK Government actually paid £396 million to the oil and gas sector.

Most of the oil and gas in the UK sector of the North Sea is in Scottish waters, yet all Scotland has to show for almost 50 years of oil production is a share of the UK’s £2 trillion debt.

The Norwegian Government uses its resources for the benefit of the people of the country; the UK Government uses its resources to enrich the few rather than the many.

It’s time for Scotland to manage its own affairs: it is inconceivable that it could do a worse job. Les Mackay. 5 Carmichael Gardens, Dundee.