This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Civil service jobs good news for Kinlochleven
21/06/2005
More public sector jobs have moved from the central belt
to the Highlands today.
The Executive's Central Enquiry Unit was officially
opened in Kinlochleven by Public Service Reform Minister
Tavish Scott.
He said new quality jobs are essential for the Highlands
and Islands.
Mr Scott said:
"The devolved government of Scotland is determined to
play its part in bringing quality jobs to the Highlands and
Islands.
"Moving even a small number of public sector jobs to
rural communities can make an important contribution to
local communities and businesses. It not only reinvigorates
the existing community but also encourages others to
consider moving there to live and work.
"Relocating the Central Enquiry Unit to Kinlochleven has
the potential to deliver long term benefits for the
area.
"The Executive is committed to dispersing public sector
jobs across Scotland. This year in the Highlands and
Islands we have opened small units for the Crown Office and
the Procurator Fiscal Service in Dingwall and Tain and
relocated the Crofting Building Grants and Loans Scheme
Unit to Tiree.
"We want to see all areas of Scotland benefit from the
dispersal to ensure that the advantages of devolution are
evenly spread and give a boost to the areas that need it
most. The devolved government's Small Units Initiative will
help us deliver on this by specifically targeting the
relocation of public sector jobs to more remote and rural
areas."
Chairman of Lochaber Enterprise, Drew Macfarlane-Slack,
said: "We are delighted to see these quality jobs coming to
Lochaber, and in particular Kinlochleven, on the back of
the closure of Database Direct at the end of last year.
It's fantastic to know that when people are calling the
Scottish Executive in Edinburgh with a wide range of
enquiries, they will be dealt with by the staff here in
Kinlochleven. This is a great example of how, through the
Executive's jobs dispersal policy, a relatively small
number of jobs can bring great benefit to our smaller rural
communities."
The Central Enquiry Unit is the central point of contact
for all Scottish Executive departments and offices,
providing a switchboard service for telephone and email
enquiries.
All staff for the unit, which comprises a team of eight
full time and one part time worker, have been recruited
from the local area which was identified recently as a
priority by Highlands and Islands Enterprise due to the
fragility of the economy.
The Small Units Initiative was established in October
2002 to bring benefits to small rural communities
throughout Scotland by relocating small numbers of public
sector jobs.
In 2004/05 the following small units have been
relocated:
- Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
transcription unit (January 2005) - Dingwall (5.5 jobs)
and Tain (3 staff).
- Crofting Building Grants and Loans Scheme Unit
(June 2005) - Tiree (8 jobs)
- National Health Service Central Registrar (June
2005) - Dumfries (17 jobs)