Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 19 March 2026 [Draft]
19 Mar 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Crofting and Scottish Land Court Bill: Stage 3
The two amendments in my name are the only ones in the group. The amendments relate to the representation of landlords’ interests on the Crofting Commission. Before anyone questions that, I advise that I am not a landlord and I have no landlord’s interest. I am purely a tenant, and not a tenant of a croft.
Currently, the interests of landlords must be represented on the commission, but the bill as drafted would remove that obligation. I make the gentle comment that every croft has a landlord, unless it is an owner-occupied croft—which has a landlord, technically, within the law.
I note that the bill does not remove the current provision on Gaelic speakers being represented on the commission, despite the fact that only 130,000 people in Scotland speak Gaelic, which is 2.5 per cent of the population. I am not disputing the importance of the Gaelic language in the crofting communities. There is therefore a fundamental protection of the language and of some of our rural populations, which I feel very strongly about. However, my amendment 56 would reverse the removal of landlord representation on the commission, reinstating the status quo. If that is unacceptable to the minister—
In the same item of business
16:15
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
The next item of business is stage 3 proceedings on the Crofting and Scottish Land Court Bill. In dealing with the amendments, members should have the bill a...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
Group 1 is on duties and enforcement. Amendment 1, in the name of Beatrice Wishart, is grouped with amendments 2 to 4, 38 to 42 and 25.
Beatrice Wishart (Shetland Islands) (LD)
LD
I have only one amendment, and, coincidentally, it is the last one in my name before I leave the Parliament.Following my stage 2 amendment 168, amendment 1 m...
The Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity (Jim Fairlie)
SNP
I am delighted to support Beatrice Wishart’s final amendment, and, as that might be her final contribution, I would like to say that it has been an absolute ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
I call Rhoda Grant to speak to amendment 38 and other amendments in the group.
Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Lab
I will speak to amendments 38 to 42. I thank the minister for his assistance with the amendments.Amendments 38 to 41 seek to deal with the issue that often a...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
I call Beatrice Wishart to wind up and to press or withdraw amendment 1.
Beatrice Wishart
LD
I press amendment 1.Amendment 1 agreed to.Section 4—Enforcement of dutiesAmendments 2 to 4 moved—Jim Fairlie—and agreed to.Section 8—Assignations to family m...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
Group 2 is on assignations. Amendment 34, in the name of Rhoda Grant, is grouped with amendment 35.
Rhoda Grant
Lab
Amendment 34 would amend section 8 of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993 to provide a simplified process for obtaining the commission’s consent to an assignati...
Tim Eagle (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
Amendment 35 is my only amendment to the bill, so I will just speak briefly to it.Section 8 of the bill, which deals with assignations to family members, wil...
Jim Fairlie
SNP
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 to...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
I call Rhoda Grant to wind up and to press or withdraw amendment 34.
Rhoda Grant
Lab
I will press amendment 34. I have nothing else to add.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
The question is, that amendment 34 be agreed to. Are we agreed?Members: No.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
There will be a division. Members should cast their vote now.I am terribly sorry—there will not be a division immediately. We have to suspend, because this i...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
We will proceed with the division on amendment 34. Members should cast their votes now.
ForAdam, George (Paisley) (SNP)Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)Allan, Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP)Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire South) (S...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
The result of the division is: For 81, Against 25, Abstentions 0.Amendment 34 agreed to.Amendment 35 not moved.Section 8A—New crofts: power to determine appl...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
Group 3 is on environmental and other purposeful uses. Amendment 5, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 43 to 46, 15, 16, 16A, 17 to 21, ...
Jim Fairlie
SNP
My amendments in the group seek to clarify the powers of the commission when it considers proposals by a grazings committee for the grazings to be used as wo...
Rhoda Grant
Lab
I will speak to amendments 43 to 46, 16A and 47. As the minister said, the bill was amended at stage 2 to remove the words “substantially”, “undue” and “sign...
Alasdair Allan (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP)
SNP
I will speak to my amendments 16 to 21. Proposed new sections 50 and 50ZA of the 1993 act make changes to the regime for crofter-led forestry projects on com...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
I call the minister to wind up.
Jim Fairlie
SNP
I have nothing further to add.Amendment 5 agreed to.Section 10A—Power to make provision about the sale of owner-occupied crofts
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
We come to group 4, on common grazings. Amendment 6, in the name of Alasdair Allan, is grouped with amendments 7 to 14 and 48 to 50.
Alasdair Allan
SNP
I will speak to my amendment 6, but I begin by saying that I strongly support sections 14A and 15 of the bill, which will prevent the further separation of g...
Jim Fairlie
SNP
I am happy to support Alasdair Allan’s amendment 6, for the reasons that he has set out. The link between owner-occupied crofts and grazing rights is a compl...
Rhoda Grant
Lab
Amendment 13 seeks to increase, from three months to five months, the time for the Crofting Commission to respond. People already complain that it takes far ...