Meeting of the Parliament 02 February 2016
I reiterate that crofters in Shetland and elsewhere face a number of pressures at the moment. I am keeping the banks updated and hope to meet them personally this week. They are saying to the Government that they are maintaining credit and will be working with the industry during the coming months—I hope that they keep that up.
It is important that any member of the Scottish Parliament who is aware of hardship cases urges their constituent either to use the helpline that is available or to call into their regional office, where local staff will do their utmost to prioritise cases of genuine hardship. That is already happening.
The complexity of each case will determine the pace at which payment is made, which is why I cannot give Tavish Scott or other members precise figures. We are moving to an area-based system, and until we know what the accurate payments will be to most crofters we will not know what they will be for all crofters and farmers, because errors in applications and payment rates can influence the overall pot and what other farmers and crofters receive. That is why there is a two-part payment. We need as much information as possible, to ensure that the final payments are accurate. This is a transition year; it is the first time that we have paid out on an area basis.