Meeting of the Parliament 16 December 2015
I accept Sarah Boyack’s point on the need to have an urgent review, and we will consider that carefully in our response to the committee’s report.
I welcome the committee’s support for further powers for Scottish Natural Heritage. Part 8 of the bill will deliver additional powers to intervene where it is shown that deer management is not delivering in the public interest. I look forward to the on-going involvement of the committee and Parliament as we focus on the 2016 review and take the necessary actions to address the outcomes from it.
Part 10 of the bill is also about promoting positive relationships while ensuring a fair balance of rights between those who own the land and those who work, live and depend on the land. It is encouraging to see that there is support from the committee for many of the measures in part 10 and for the principles behind those measures.
I very much welcome the committee’s support for the need to enable and empower communities throughout Scotland to have the confidence, opportunity and resources to own land for the benefit of the community. The committee’s support of the principles behind the provisions in part 5 of the bill to introduce a community right to buy land to further sustainable development is important in helping to achieve that aim.
I hope that the committee and colleagues in the chamber will recognise the Deputy First Minister’s confirmation today that the Scottish land fund will be extended to £10 million for 2016 and support the work of the Government’s short-life working group on the 1 million acre target. The group’s report, which was published just last week, sets out a detailed action plan to ensure that communities and landowners across Scotland have the necessary support and resources that enable them to understand and realise the benefits of community ownership.
The report of the short-life working group on community land ownership is just one example of the fact that the bill is not the end point in Scotland’s land reform journey. I am very encouraged by the breadth of discussion on, and support for, the bill and the Scottish Government’s wider land reform agenda.
Throughout the consultation and the drafting processes, we have worked extremely hard to consider the wide range of—often conflicting—views and ideas around how we own, use and manage land in Scotland. Some of these conflicting views are evident even in the committee’s report. There are no easy answers to those complex and important issues. However, it is important that we continue to strive for better solutions, and there is always potentially room for improvement. I acknowledge that there is more work to do in that regard.
As part of the stage 1 process, the scrutiny of the bill by the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee and the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee has been highly valuable in highlighting potential areas in which improvements can be made.
We will seek to respond fully to all concerns and recommendations in our response to the stage 1 report. In fact, we have already confirmed our intention to replace the regulation-making power in section 79 in part 10 with substantive provisions at stage 2 that will support Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act 1991 tenant farmers to leave their holdings with dignity and security, thereby increasing opportunities for newer farmers. We have written to the RACCE Committee outlining details of the intended proposal, and we will continue to work with the committee and stakeholders as the provisions are developed ahead of stage 2.
We also intend to confirm our intention to bring forward amendments to strengthen the level of scrutiny for a number of the delegated powers in the bill. Further consideration is on-going on how best to provide Parliament with more information on the intended use of the delegated powers, and to provide more detail and clarity at stage 2 about the provisions that are causing concern, as requested by the committee.
I appreciate that that will be of specific importance for further detailing of why the reintroduction of business rates for shootings and deer forests in part 6 not only is fair but will have a proportionate and reasonable impact on our rural economies while raising additional revenue that will help us to support community land ownership through the Scottish land fund.
As the development and scrutiny of the provisions in the bill have highlighted, the issues are complex and require detailed consideration and thoughtful development. Therefore, although we are keen to bring forward additional measures where possible, we must be realistic about what is possible in the time available.
There is a lot to be considered in the committee’s specific recommendations on how to go further on part 3 to ensure the transparency and accountability of land ownership in Scotland. I am confident that the current provisions in part 3, along with our wider commitments to complete the land register and develop a new land and property information system for Scotland, will go a long way to delivering increased transparency.
The area is complex. To date, specific proposals to go further have struggled to provide effective solutions, and we are certain that some suggestions would be outwith the competence of the Parliament. However, more needs to be done, and we are committed to continuing to consider what measures can be taken forward to achieve the aim.