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Western Isles Jobs Taskforce
23/06/2009
Members of a taskforce set up to deal with 125 possible job losses at an MOD missile testing range in the Western Isles met Finance Secretary John Swinney and Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop in Edinburgh today.
The jobs are under threat as a result of Ministry of Defence and contractor QinetiQ's plans to make savings at the ranges on Benbecula and South Uist.
Representatives from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council), Highlands and Islands Enterprise and other key agencies joined Ministers to discuss how best to respond to the MOD announcement.
Mr Swinney said:
"The Scottish Government is extremely concerned about the devastating impact that this MOD proposal will have on jobs and the local economy in the Western Isles.
"That's why, along with our partners, we have acted swiftly to set up a multi-agency taskforce with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Stòras Uibhist and other key agencies to press for alternative solutions which protect employment in the Western Isles.
"Today I met members of that group and we had an extremely useful discussion about how best to reverse this decision - which has the potential to be extremely damaging to the fragile economy of the Western Isles.
"First and foremost we agreed that we should at the very least be given a fair and proper hearing, and that the 30-day consultation period offered by the MOD is far from sufficient to allow this.
"Members of the taskforce will now take immediate action and will meet in Benbecula tomorrow to move forward quickly with our efforts to protect jobs and support the local economy."
Fiona Hyslop, who also attended the meeting, added:
"The local workforce has served both the MOD and QinetiQ extremely well at the Hebrides Range and we will do everything we can to protect that community and to secure these vital jobs which are crucial to the economic sustainability of the area."
A further meeting will take place in the Western Isles tomorrow. Ministers will be unable to attend due to commitments in the Parliament, but officials will be representing the Scottish Government at the meeting.
Conservation charity, the National Trust for Scotland, who own and care for the Dual World Heritage Site, have significant conservation concerns over the plans which would mean that St Kilda would be uninhabited over the winter period.
Represented at today's meeting were: Scottish Government Ministers - Cabinet Secretary for Finance & Sustainable Growth and Cabinet Secretary for Education & Lifelong Learning; Scottish Government Officials;
Western Isles Council - Malcolm Burr (Chief Executive) & Angus Campbell (Council Leader); Skills Development Scotland; Historic Scotland; National Trust for Scotland; Highlands & Islands Enterprise; Western Isles MP - Angus MacNeil and Western Isles MSP - Alisdair Allan.
It has been agreed that:
- the membership of the Task Force should include all organisations present today as well as Storas Uibhist - the community-run landowner on South Uist - and representatives of QinetiQ
- that the Western Isles Council should convene and chair the Task Force