Lib Dem PPC Jean Davis welcomes the government u-turn saving 125 jobs in Uist

1.16.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 15th Sep 2009

Speaking following the announcement by Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy that plans to close the Uist Rocket Range have been abandoned Jean Davis said; “I am pleased that proposals to close the Rocket Range have been abandoned. It will be a great relief to the large numbers of people employed by Qinetiq or reliant on the economic stimulus provided by the presence of this site and give more time to make the case for long term retention of the site.”

“We must learn by this experience however. No more should Western Islanders suffer the shock of such announcements without adequate prior warning. In addition elected representatives, Comhairle and enterprise agencies must work more closely to achieve a viable long term economy for these islands”Jean Davis: Western Isles PPC

“For too long the focus has been on attracting or maintaining the large employers to the detriment of smaller entrepreneurial businesses. This strategy is always risky particularly in a small community where the lost of one larger employer has a huge impact on the community.”

“I welcome today’s decision but in addition to continuing the work to retain the rocket range we must work harder to support and attract a diverse bedrock of small entrepreneurial business to these islands to provide even more jobs and at lower risk to the overall island economy should any individual businesses get into difficulty.”