MSPs are happy with how the meeting went

The meeting allowed Mrs Grant to raise concerns about the lack of investment in Arnish and the wealth of resources and assets it offered to prospective buyers.

Mrs Grant also highlighted the ambitions of local public sector organisations and community action groups that the Arnish yard could be de-coupled from the rest of BiFab assets and its lease sold on as an individual asset.

Deloitte confirmed to Mrs Grant and Mr Cameron that this was being fully investigated as an option and that a decision on the future of Arnish and BiFab was expected within the next few weeks.

Mrs Grant said, “Obviously in any administration process the administrators are required to work out the best deal for the creditors, however I was pleased to see that the administration team are fully up to speed and sympathetic with local concerns and aspirations.

“They are keen to explore all options and are well aware of the skill base in the Western Isles offers potential buyers. In addition they have agreed to keep myself and Donald advised of the process as far as they can and are cautiously optimistic that they will be able to secure a decision on Arnish in the next few weeks.

Highlands and Islands Scottish Conservative MSP Donald Cameron said: “It was a useful discussion and I was pleased that the administrators agreed to keep us informed. I cannot overstate the importance of the Arnish yard to the economy of the Lewis area.”