Liberal Democrat Chief Whip and MSP for Glasgow Robert Brown has slammed the SNP Government for its “shocking complacency” following the news that the Glasgow Science Centre is to axe one fifth of its workforce.

Mr. Brown has been leading the campaign against the Science Centre funding cuts and recently lodged a Parliamentary motion condemning the Science Centre cuts. Further, in a letter to the Education Secretary he had demanded that they be immediately reversed.

Commenting, Mr Brown said:

“Let’s be clear that the blame for these job losses lies firmly on the shoulders of the SNP, and it is time that Fiona Hyslop sorted out the mess that her funding cuts have created.

“I cannot understand what the Education Secretary is playing at. It should hardly be a surprise to the Scottish Government, after they cut the Science Centre’s budget by 40 per cent, that a fifth of the staff would have to go.

“Thanks to pressure from the Liberal Democrats the SNP have been forced to put a further £250,000 on the table – which is welcome and might have provided a basis for discussion. However, no one knows what exactly the money is for or how much of it is going to the Glasgow Science centre. It appears as if it has to be bid for, is only for one year not three and will require the Science Centre to do new things – when the problem is on core funding to support what they do at the moment.

“This is terrible news for the staff and the centre – which has been going from strength to strength in terms of its success and visitor numbers in recent years.

“At a time when Scotland’s children are failing to grasp Science in schools, this comes as a terrible blow. It makes a total nonsense of the SNP promises about supporting science and opportunities for children to be inspired by science.

“Sadly, Scotland’s children will now be the ones who suffer."