THE CHAIRMAN of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) says he is ‘fully confident about the future of the organisation’ despite growing fears HIE will be scrapped.
Responding to reports this week speculating about the agency’s future following the Scottish Government’s review of enterprise and skills bodies, Professor Lorne Crerar said he had had absolute reassurance from the government that HIE will continue in its present form.
The comments followed Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills John Swinney’s announcement to replace HIE with an ‘overarching board’ covering the whole of Scotland.