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Hopes That More Jobs Can be Saved

HOPES that more jobs on the West Freugh range can be saved have been voiced.

A range insider this week claimed that in spite of QinetiQ's downgrading of the range, it will continue to operate at much the same level of business as now.

That was likely to be the message delivered to Scottish Executive Enterprise Minister Iain Gray who was scheduled to meet politicians and Trades Union officials while on a visit to the naming ceremony of P&O's latest ferry at Cairnryan yesterday (Wednesday) morning.

The "Free Press"were told this week

"The thing we are saying is West Freugh is not closing. It is going on to campaign operation status.

Trials would still go on with QinetiQ bringing in people in a central unit to do the work now being done by the Freugh employees.

But, the insider said, they would not be able to carry out all the tasks and he doubted if the small Freugh staff which will remain would be sufficient to do them all either.