Ministers must not forget about Port Dundas in Diageo talks - Brown

3.37.09pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 19th Aug 2009

Commenting ahead of today's summit in Edinburgh where whisky giant Diageo's plans to axe 900 jobs in Scotland will come under scrutiny from Ministers and unions, Liberal Democrat Glasgow MSP Robert Brown said:

"Much of the focus of this summit appears to be on protecting jobs in Kilmarnock, but Ministers must not forget about Port Dundas in these discussions.

"Port Dundas is a long established, sustainable and profitable distillery, with many jobs both directly and indirectly dependent on it.

"It is a major mainstay of the local economy in the north of Glasgow, particularly during the current recession.

"The long term future of Diageo in both Kilmarnock and Glasgow is dependent on retaining an effective presence at Port Dundas, Shiedhall and Kilmarnock.

"The SNP Government must not sacrifice the interests of Glasgow and Port Dundas in this campaign."

Ends.