Meeting of the Parliament 19 March 2026 [Draft]
I am very happy to support Rhoda Grant’s amendment 34. Crofters want a genuinely fast-tracked process. I have heard that at first hand, particularly on my tour of the crofting counties over the summer, when I sat down with crofters and asked what their biggest ask was. That was it, and that is what section 8 of the bill will provide.
I agree with Rhoda Grant that there is no need for an extra check that family assignees are aware of their crofting duties. We should not be building an extra piece of process where there is no need for one to be put in.
However, I cannot agree with Tim Eagle’s amendment 35, which would allow for fast-tracked family assignations to a crofter who already has three crofts or more. In some cases, a community might be happy for one person to acquire multiple crofts, but, in others, that would be an area of concern. Even for family assignation, it is right that the local crofting community should be able to have a say on proposed assignations to a person who already has three or more crofts. As Rhoda Grant has pointed out, that does not mean that the commission will not still grant the assignation, but there is no reason why it should not go through the process. Tim Eagle’s amendment 35 would deny the community that right. For that reason, I encourage Mr Eagle not to move the amendment; if he does, I encourage members to oppose it.