To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to retain and develop the skills of Clyde shipyard workers in light of the announcement by BAE Systems that it will make 265 Clyde shipyard workers redundant.

The company will be consulting with the unions over the next few weeks and I hope that compulsory redundancies can be kept to a minimum. The Clyde Shipyards Task Force Redundancy Management sub-group will be meeting shortly to provide support as necessary, to those affected through a dedicated local response team under the Executive's PACE (Partnership Action for Continuing Employment) framework. This will ensure a rapid response from local agencies in terms of offering advice, support and guidance in terms of retraining/upskilling and employment opportunities.