Army reserve boost is welcome move — Carmichael

Northern Isles MP Alistair Carmichael has welcomed an announcement by the defence secretary Philip Hammond to invest £42 million in army reservists and protect the Orkney and Shetland Territorial Army bases from closure.

Mr Hammond today, Wednesday, outlined reforms to the Territorial Army and basing across the UK. A number of TA branches were under threat of closure but the Orkney and Shetland branches have been protected.

Mr Carmichael said: “This decision is good news for the TA members and reservists across the country, but I am very pleased that the local bases in Orkney and Shetland have been protected.

“The TA members in the isles cannot simply travel elsewhere to train if the local bases had been closed. The decision to keep them open is therefore particularly important to our local TA members who wish to remain in the Northern Isles.”