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Plea over aircraft carrier deal Carrier delay 'could cost jobs'
(about 13 hours later)
Scottish MPs are expected to urge the Ministry of Defence to sign a contract for two new aircraft carriers as soon as possible. The delay in signing a contract for two new aircraft carriers could endanger jobs at Scottish shipyards, according to a cross-party group of MPs.
There have been delays over the past two years in finalising the £4bn deal for the vessels, which would be partly built on the Clyde. In its report on the defence industry, the Scottish Affairs Committee also said any gap in workload could damage the UK's ship-building skills base.
The call to end uncertainty comes on the day members of the Commons Scottish Affairs Committee are due in Govan. There have been delays over the past two years in finalising the £4bn deal for the vessels.
They will publish a report later on the state of the UK's defence sector. They would be partly built on the Clyde and fully assembled at Rosyth.
It is believed that thousands of Scottish jobs are reliant on the defence industry. In its report, the committee urged the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to review how it communicates the progress of defence programmes.
A month ago the MoD confirmed it intended to go ahead with the building of the aircraft carriers, which will be fully assembled at Rosyth. It said this was necessary to "limit uncertainty and worry about possible delays, and to avoid 'scare-mongering' which has been destabilising to the workforce and wider community".
'Vital industry'
The report also identified a number of "challenges" ahead for the industry.
It said possible constitutional change, limited success to date in the export market, and competition from English yards were all threats to future work.
Committee chairman, Mohammad Sarwar MP, said: "It is not an exaggeration to say that the defence industry in Scotland is vital.
"We heard during evidence sessions that defence and aerospace industries and the MoD support almost 50,000 jobs in Scotland.
"To secure the future of the industry, and to ensure that it remains a world class base for manufacturing and engineering, we call on the MoD, the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, the Scotland Office, and the industry itself to forge a coherent and effective working relationship."