MP visits as St Kilda battles for jobs

Published on Thursday 2 July 2009 21:51

A MSP will today visit the most remote part of his constituency, which has no full-time residents, for the first time.

Alasdair Allan, who represents the Western Isles, will travel to St Kilda, around 40 miles off North Uist.

The only people currently based on the island group, which was depopulated in 1930, are National Trust for Scotland employees, and those employed by Qinetiq, a Ministry of Defence contractor.

Dr Allan's visit comes as the MoD has announced that all personnel might be removed from the St Kilda base within a few years, which has raised questions about the conservation of the area.

He said: "I am delighted to have been given the opportunity – after a lot of planning – to visit the one part of my constituency I have never managed to get to before. This must surely hold the record of the furthest flung bit of any MSP's constituency.

"Although this trip was arranged before the recent MoD announcements of job losses and their plans to pull-out from St Kilda, it obviously takes on a new significance now."

A task force set up to fight the potential 125 job losses from threatened missile bases in South Uist and Benbecula met again yesterday and were joined by John Swinney, the finance secretary.

He said: "The Scottish Government has made it very clear we will do everything we can to support jobs and economic activity at the Hebrides Range."

He wants a longer extension to the consultation than the 21 days conceded by the MoD, saying more time was needed to marshal the campaign and back up the case to rescue the range and save jobs.

"There's every prospect that we can win this argument because there is a very strong proposition here in the Western Isles," said Mr Swinney.