Chamber
Plenary, 25 Jan 2007
25 Jan 2007 · S2 · Plenary
Item of business
Crofting Reform etc Bill
Crofting tenure has sustained rural communities in the crofting counties since the Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886 was passed and the legal concept of a croft has developed through several reforms since then, but there has been widespread consensus in recent years that further reform is needed to ensure that crofting tenure continues to sustain crofting in the face of modern pressures on the system.
The Scottish Liberal Democrat manifesto in 2003 made a commitment to implement a crofting reform bill while supporting the retention of a grants scheme for crofting counties. We accepted that action was essential to re-establish a firm foundation for crofting that would help to sustain and enhance the population of rural Scotland, to improve economic viability and to safeguard our physical landscape and biodiversity and, as Rob Gibson said, our cultural landscape and diversity.
The bill's passage has highlighted the difficulties of meeting the aspirations of a widely diverse crofting community, but the situation has moved forward with the crofting community, Parliament and the Executive working together. I thank all the people who engaged with the Environment and Rural Development Committee and the Executive on a complex series of issues.
The Executive responded to concerns about aspects of the bill and dropped some provisions. A committee of inquiry will tackle issues that include the market for crofts and the Crofters Commission's status, role and functioning. A substantial bill is left and it contains measures that are widely supported and welcomed. The bill will allow the creation of new crofts, clarify and extend crofters' rights to use their land, facilitate renewable energy development on croft land, simplify regulation, give extended rights to appeal decisions of the Crofters Commission and modernise conditions of tenure.
The bill provides a mechanism to allow new crofts to be created outwith the crofting counties, which has been widely welcomed on Arran in particular and which may deliver substantial benefits in other parts of Scotland. I wait with interest to see how the new ability will be developed. Crofting community bodies will be able to purchase tenants' rights in leases over the land that they have bought or are buying under part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
It has not always been acknowledged that a lot of work, thought and consultation was undertaken before the bill's introduction. A lot of work has been done during the bill's passage and the bill achieves much, despite the Tories' carping comments. More remains to be done and we have established the mechanism to take that forward.
In the meantime, we can welcome the bill. We can welcome what it has achieved and consolidated and what it will do to support crofting in a modern environment. We look forward to the committee of inquiry dotting the i's and crossing the t's on some issues that have been rightly postponed. In the main, the bill is a good piece of work that should be welcomed and supported.
The Scottish Liberal Democrat manifesto in 2003 made a commitment to implement a crofting reform bill while supporting the retention of a grants scheme for crofting counties. We accepted that action was essential to re-establish a firm foundation for crofting that would help to sustain and enhance the population of rural Scotland, to improve economic viability and to safeguard our physical landscape and biodiversity and, as Rob Gibson said, our cultural landscape and diversity.
The bill's passage has highlighted the difficulties of meeting the aspirations of a widely diverse crofting community, but the situation has moved forward with the crofting community, Parliament and the Executive working together. I thank all the people who engaged with the Environment and Rural Development Committee and the Executive on a complex series of issues.
The Executive responded to concerns about aspects of the bill and dropped some provisions. A committee of inquiry will tackle issues that include the market for crofts and the Crofters Commission's status, role and functioning. A substantial bill is left and it contains measures that are widely supported and welcomed. The bill will allow the creation of new crofts, clarify and extend crofters' rights to use their land, facilitate renewable energy development on croft land, simplify regulation, give extended rights to appeal decisions of the Crofters Commission and modernise conditions of tenure.
The bill provides a mechanism to allow new crofts to be created outwith the crofting counties, which has been widely welcomed on Arran in particular and which may deliver substantial benefits in other parts of Scotland. I wait with interest to see how the new ability will be developed. Crofting community bodies will be able to purchase tenants' rights in leases over the land that they have bought or are buying under part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
It has not always been acknowledged that a lot of work, thought and consultation was undertaken before the bill's introduction. A lot of work has been done during the bill's passage and the bill achieves much, despite the Tories' carping comments. More remains to be done and we have established the mechanism to take that forward.
In the meantime, we can welcome the bill. We can welcome what it has achieved and consolidated and what it will do to support crofting in a modern environment. We look forward to the committee of inquiry dotting the i's and crossing the t's on some issues that have been rightly postponed. In the main, the bill is a good piece of work that should be welcomed and supported.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Trish Godman):
Lab
The next item of business is a debate on motion S2M-5335, in the name of Ross Finnie, that the Parliament agrees that the Crofting Reform etc Bill be passed.
The Minister for Environment and Rural Development (Ross Finnie):
LD
I will deal with the formal part first. For the purposes of rule 9.11 of the standing orders, I advise the Parliament that Her Majesty, having been informed ...
Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP):
SNP
Can the minister clarify a matter in the interests of the staff who work for the Crofters Commission? Originally, the bill proposed that the commission shoul...
Ross Finnie:
LD
As always, I am reluctant to anticipate the conclusions of an independent inquiry. Obviously, there will be no change unless the matter comes before Parliame...
Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP):
SNP
The Scottish National Party welcomes the final stage of the bill. The bill is equitable and achieves fairly small administrative changes that benefit crofter...
Mr Ted Brocklebank (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con):
Con
Members will be aware that the Conservatives opposed the bill at stage 1. We agreed with the Environment and Rural Development Committee's fairly devastating...
Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab):
Lab
It is good to see the Crofting Reform etc Bill completing its passage through the Parliament.It is important that we have legislation that is fit for purpose...
Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD):
LD
Crofting tenure has sustained rural communities in the crofting counties since the Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886 was passed and the legal concept of ...
Mr Alasdair Morrison (Western Isles) (Lab):
Lab
A week last Friday, I attended the celebrations in the community of Ness when Galson estate, which covers some 54,000 acres and includes some 20 townships, m...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Lab
I ask members please to ensure that their mobile phones are off.
Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green):
Green
I add my thanks to everybody who has been involved in the bill—the committee clerks, people from the Scottish Parliament information centre and the people fr...
John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD):
LD
This is an historic day and a debate in which I am delighted to be involved. Even the elements are kind to us today. The sun is shining down on us, so somebo...
Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con):
Con
It is sad that John Farquhar Munro's sensible amendments to do with building on the common grazings and not on the arable parts of crofts were knocked back. ...
Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP):
SNP
I, too, thank the Scottish Crofting Foundation for its help and support throughout the bill and pay tribute to the cross-party group on crofting. Of all the ...
Ross Finnie:
LD
Will the member give way?
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
I will in just a minute.I am genuinely perplexed about that and I am profoundly concerned about the implications of the decision.
Ross Finnie:
LD
I can understand the member's concern. I think that that was the only occasion on which I personally had to make the decision. It might help the member to kn...
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
I am grateful to the minister for that clarification, but I am still unclear about why he felt bound to take the decision that he did. Perhaps he and I can p...
Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD):
LD
Fergus Ewing and Jamie McGrigor have set out a worthy list of priorities for the committee of inquiry. However, although we can hope that there may be no mor...
Fergus Ewing:
SNP
No one disagrees that that is a major issue for the committee. I am sure that it will examine the matter thoroughly, as Jamie Stone has advocated.I would pre...
The Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development (Sarah Boyack):
Lab
Sometimes life takes unexpected twists and turns. Who would have thought that, after convening the Parliament's Environment and Rural Development Committee, ...
Mr McGrigor rose—
Con
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
Would Jamie McGrigor like to agree with me?
Mr McGrigor:
Con
No. I suggest to the minister that it might have been more appropriate for the Executive to listen before the bill was written.
Sarah Boyack:
Lab
There was a fair amount of consultation before the bill was introduced. If Jamie McGrigor reads the committee's conclusions, he will find a deep analysis of ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Murray Tosh):
Con
That concludes this item of business. For the benefit of members of the public in the gallery, I note that business has finished about five minutes early.
Meeting suspended until 11:40.
On resuming—