BOOST FOR BUCHAN ECONOMY WELCOMED

PORT INVESTMENT HELPS SECURE PETERHEAD'S POSITION

Scottish Government investment in Peterhead Port Authority's plans for expansion have been hailed by local SNP councillor's and the Party's candidate to succeed Alex Salmond at Westminster.

Peterhead North & Rattray councillor Anne Allan, Aberdeenshire's Buchan Area Committee Chairman Stuart Pratt and SNP Westminster candidate Eilidh Whiteford have all welcomed the announcement by Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead of over £5Million investment from the Scottish Government and European Fisheries Fund.

Welcoming the news as further evidence of the SNP Government's commitment to the North-east, Westminster candidate Eilidh Whiteford said:

"Having been brought up in a fishing community myself, I know how important it is not just to Peterhead but to the whole Scottish economy that the industry receives the support it very much deserves but, sadly, has not received from the London parties under successive governments.

"I'm therefore delighted that my colleague Richard Lochhead has given this vital funding the go-ahead today which means that Peterhead will continue to make an important contribution to the local and national economy."

Commenting at this morning's formal announcement at Peterhead Harbour, Cllr Anne Allan said:

"This is absolutely fantastic news. At a time of economic uncertainly it is a real boost to the town to have this amount of investment coming in.

"I think this just underlines the importance of having people like Richard Lochhead in government who do not have to take their orders from furth of Scotland and are able to make investment decisions based on what is right for local circumstances."

Aberdeenshire Council Buchan Area Chairman Cllr Stuart Pratt added:

"It is well-known that the Tory Government which took us into Europe and the nightmare that is the Common Fisheries Policy regarded the Scottish fishing industry as "expendable". The SNP have been working hard in Government over the past 18 months to rebuild the industry and repair the damage done to it by the 18 long years of Tory misrule.

"Today is another step along the road to restoring the fishing industry to its rightful place as a valuable contributor of jobs, wealth and infrastructure to the North-east. I am absolutely delighted with this announcement but you can be sure the SNP Government won't be resting on its laurels and will continue to work hard for the industry."