Hansard

The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott) Con

The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-03070, in the name of Fergus Ewing, on the Land Registration etc (Scotland) Bill.As the bill contains pro...

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth (John Swinney) SNP

For the purposes of rule 9.11 of the standing orders, I advise Parliament that Her Majesty, having been informed of the purport of the Land Registration etc ...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Con

Thank you. We now move to the debate. I call Fergus Ewing to speak to and move the motion. You have a generous 10 minutes, minister.10:25

The Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism (Fergus Ewing) SNP

Thank you for your generosity, Presiding Officer.I am pleased to open the stage 3 debate on the Land Registration etc (Scotland) Bill. First, I thank the mem...

Murdo Fraser Con

I may have beaten Mr Harvie to asking the same question.The minister hopes that 80 per cent of properties will be registered by 2017. What proportion of the ...

Fergus Ewing SNP

I suspected that members might be interested in the answer to that question, so I consulted officials about it yesterday evening. Most of the 700,000 propert...

Fergus Ewing SNP

I do not know whether Mr Fraser and Mr Harvie have the same question to ask; it would be a parliamentary first. Let me not be accused of dodging any question...

Patrick Harvie Green

My question is related. The minister is talking about moving from 55 per cent to 80 per cent of titles being covered but says that there is likely to be only...

Fergus Ewing SNP

We have made it clear that the process cannot happen overnight and will take many years to complete. Mr Harvie is entitled to suggest alternative approaches....

Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab

Given that our system of conveyancing is based on mutual trust and professional obligation, what consideration was given to safeguards against criminal and f...

Fergus Ewing SNP

The point of land registration legislation is to provide a state guarantee to title; the bill extends that protection. The protection of the public is also s...

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab) Lab

As I suspect all members will do today, I begin by welcoming the reforms in the Land Registration etc (Scotland) Bill and the improvements that we hope the b...

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con

I declare my interests as a member of the Law Society of Scotland and the convener of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee, which was responsible for st...

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP) SNP

As deputy convener of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee, I sat through a number of evidence-gathering sessions and read a number of the written submi...

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Lab

I echo the sentiments and words of John Wilson on the work that the committee clerks and other parliamentary staff did on the bill. The bill is technical in ...

Mike MacKenzie (Highlands and Islands) (SNP) SNP

I compliment my fellow members of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee for their considered and intelligent scrutiny of the bill, and the clerks, who pr...

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green) Green

I echo the thanks that have been expressed to my fellow members of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee, to our clerking team, to the officials who supp...

Mike MacKenzie SNP

If a target such as the member describes was set, what mechanism could the Government use to ensure that it was achieved?

Patrick Harvie Green

That goes back to the minister’s response to my earlier comments. He said that an alternative to the purely voluntary approach, which we know will not achiev...

Stuart McMillan (West Scotland) (SNP) SNP

As one of the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee members who scrutinised the bill, I am happy that it will provide an improved framework and experience fo...

Annabel Goldie (West Scotland) (Con) Con

As I mentioned at stage 1, I am now a retired solicitor, but when in practice I undertook conveyancing work over many years. As my colleague Murdo Fraser com...

Stuart McMillan SNP

Does Annabel Goldie agree that it should not be about just the next five years, but that there should be continual scrutiny by future ministers to ensure tha...

Annabel Goldie Con

Yes. My remarks were prompted by the minister’s specific comments about 2017 in the debate. The critical period of five years is significant.I share the conc...

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab) Lab

I, too, want to put on record my thanks to the committee clerks, our adviser Professor Kenneth Reid, SPICe, all the other officials who gave us advice and al...

Fergus Ewing SNP

This has been a useful and constructive debate. I thank all members for their contributions. The debate has demonstrated that members agree that this is an i...

John Wilson SNP

Will the minister give way?

Fergus Ewing SNP

The member will have to excuse me, but I really want to give the chamber some more information that I did not have time to give earlier.I understand from Reg...

The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick) NPA

You have 20 seconds, Mr Ewing.

Fergus Ewing SNP

In all seriousness, we believe that the offence provision in the bill is necessary. As the overwhelming majority of solicitors are honest, they will be neith...

The Presiding Officer NPA

Minister, two weeks ago, you cast aspersions on my virtues when we were together in New York; now here you are, referring to Miss Goldie in such terms. One o...