Na h-Eileanan an Iar SNP MP Angus Brendan MacNeil has today spoken to Paul Wheelhouse MSP, Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy who has confirmed that work is ongoing with the lead developers SSE and others, the main contractors and Government accountants to do their utmost to keep the successful engineering company BiFab going.

Commenting Angus MacNeil said:

“Clearly I am concerned for the jobs at Arnish and I know that many families will be very worried during this period of uncertainty.

“The lead developer SSE and the others, in conjunction with Copenhagen Partners and Red Rock have a huge part to play, as do the Royal Bank of Scotland, the main contractors Seaway Heavy Lifting, The Scottish Government and Price Waterhouse Cooper who are all working hard to find a solution.

“I spoke with Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy Paul Wheelhouse MSP today who assured me that a lot of hard work is going on to prevent job losses and to secure the future for BiFab.

“The Minister assures me that The Scottish Government will leave no stone unturned and that the First Minister is anxious to see a good outcome for BiFab.

“Ultimately I feel that BiFab is a very good engineering company who have been caught on the hook of a complex contract. It is important to bridge them through this period as they will be successful on their own two feet in the future as well maintaining and developing skills in Scotland and on Lewis contributing to the National economy directly and indirectly on a big scale.”

ENDS