Defence chiefs have been quizzed in Westminster on plans to slash accommodation provision for the Western Isles rocket testing site.
Local MP Angus MacNeil used a parliamentary question to question UK ministers on the cuts at the West Camp at the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Hebrides Range.
It was announced in December that the future of the range was secure until 2028, with £60million to be invested at the site.
The move ended fears of major jobs losses at Europe’s biggest missile test site.
However, it later emerged that the West Camp accommodation on Benbecula would be “scaled back” and renovated, potentially leading to the loss of six employees from QinetiQ, the contractor which runs the base.
Talks are also ongoing with catering and cleaning contractor Elior over the new requirements and impact.
The barracks was built to accommodate about 500 troops but has spare capacity now due to the changing nature of missile tests.
The revamped West Camp will sleep 120, with any overflow for large trials and exercises being placed in local accommodation.
In response to Mr MacNeil’s question on the change and impact on staff at the facility, Defence Minister Mark Lancaster said: “West Camp, Ministry of Defence Hebrides Range, is operated by QinetiQ under a commercial contract.
“Accommodation will be rationalised to align it to current and projected usage rates, as part of the Air Ranges Modernisation Project.
“This will also see significant investment in modern equipment for the range, including new radars.
“The savings, together with operating cost reductions, will allow investment in essential systems, thus helping to secure the future of the range for the longer term.
“The implications for QinetiQ employees and other staff will be managed by the company, which has indicated that there may be a small number of redundancies.”
QinetiQ said the six potential job losses would take effect from October after a detailed assessment, and there were “no other plans for further compulsory redundancies”, although “like all businesses we will keep resourcing under review”.
Last week, the MoD won permission for the redevelopment of missile-tracking facility on St Kilda.
The base has existed on the island of Hirta since 1957, and is connected to the rocket range at Benbecula.