Fred Mackintosh backs green jobs manifesto pledge

6.36.10pm GMT Thu 11th Feb 2010

Fred Mackintosh, Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesman for Edinburgh South has pledged his backing to the Liberal Democrats manifesto pledge to create 57,000 jobs across the UK by investing £400m upgrading disused shipyards to enable the production of off-shore wind turbines.

Nick Clegg was in Leith with Lib Dem Candidates Fred Mackintosh and Kevin Lang on the day he launched this latest plank of the Liberal Democrats' economic stimulus and job creation package - recently identified by a Scottish Enterprise report as the number one potential site in Scotland for the development of the offshore wind industry.

The proposals would enable firms in Scotland - especially in the Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee and Inverness areas - to manufacture offshore wind turbines, instead of seeing them built abroad due to out-of-date facilities. Currently, plans to expand wind farms in the North and Irish seas could see every one of the 6,400 turbines needed brought in from abroad.

British ports are ideally located to host turbine manufacturers due to their proximity to the off-shore wind farms; however, they are currently unable to invest due to the lack of appropriate docks with suitable space.

Speaking at Leith Docks during a visit to the facilities operated by Forth Ports Plc, Fred Mackintosh said: "Scotland's docks and shipyards have a proud history - this investment would keep the active well into the future.

"Our plans would act as a huge boost for the UK's budding wind industry and create thousands of jobs across Scotland. New off-shore turbines need to be built and launched from modern docks, so we need to upgrade our shipyards to take advantage of this massive opportunity.

"Investing in infrastructure for a new green economy not only helps create jobs now but will allow Scotland to take its place at the cutting edge of this growing industrial sector for the future. The UK clearly has the manufacturing and engineering expertise to lead the world in this green technology but government must play its part in supporting this."