Highland communities must share in the jobs and economic opportunities created by the Jackdaw gas field, according to MP Jamie Stone, who has urged the UK Government not to overlook the people who helped build Scotland’s offshore energy industry.

The Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP made his appeal in Parliament following the Government’s decision to approve the North Sea development, drawing on his own experience of working in oil and gas.

Stone spent years working at Kishorn, Nigg and Sullom Voe, three locations whose industrial histories are closely connected to the growth of offshore energy production.

He told MPs that the industry’s contribution went far beyond oil and gas revenues, providing employment, supporting families and helping sustain communities across the Highlands and North East Scotland.

His intervention comes as questions continue over how the economic benefits of new North Sea developments will be distributed and whether communities with longstanding connections to the industry will secure opportunities from future investment.

For places such as Nigg and Kishorn, the oil and gas industry has provided skilled employment and supported businesses across engineering, construction and associated services.

Stone believes that experience must be recognised as decisions are made about the future of energy production.

The UK Government minister responding to his contribution welcomed the MP’s experience and agreed with the importance of ensuring communities benefited from the Jackdaw decision.

Speaking afterwards, Stone said:

“Myself and my family are living examples of the good that oil and gas have brought to the Highlands.

“I spent years working in the industry, at Kishorn, Nigg and Sullom Voe.

“I have seen the difference it made to jobs, families and communities across our region.

“As the Government moves forward with Jackdaw, it must do everything it can to ensure that the benefits reach the communities that have contributed so much to North Sea oil and gas.

“Highlanders must not be overlooked when decisions are made about the future of our energy industry.”

The approval of Jackdaw has renewed debate about the role of North Sea production in Britain’s energy future, with supporters emphasising employment and domestic energy supplies while environmental campaigners have raised concerns about continued fossil fuel development.

For Stone, the immediate concern is ensuring that the Highlands receives tangible benefits from the latest decision.

Communities across the region have contributed generations of workers to the offshore industry, with many families depending directly or indirectly on employment linked to oil and gas.

As the energy sector changes, those established skills and industrial connections could also play an important role in developing new opportunities.

However, Stone’s appeal does not identify specific employment commitments or investment guarantees for Highland businesses arising from the Jackdaw approval.

His message to ministers is that the region’s contribution should be reflected in the opportunities created as the project moves forward.

For the communities that helped establish the North Sea industry, the question is not simply what Jackdaw will produce, but how much of its economic benefit will be felt closer to home.