Chamber
Plenary, 25 Jan 2007
25 Jan 2007 · S2 · Plenary
Item of business
Crofting Reform etc Bill
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 from the crofting community who engaged with the committee. During consideration of the bill, the cross-party group on crofting met frequently and had the bill as a permanent agenda item.
This is an occasion when the stage 3 debate is different from the stage 1 debate, because we were quite critical of the bill at stage 1. Some criticisms were justified—of the bill, of the process and perhaps of the people who drafted the bill as introduced. The bill provides an example of the parliamentary process working. The committee considered the bill and produced its stage 1 report, which the Executive, to its credit, took on board. I give an honourable mention to the former deputy minister, Rhona Brankin, who engaged realistically and genuinely and sometimes with great courage with the crofting interests and with the cross-party group on crofting and the committee. She took on board what was said and that should be acknowledged.
As has been said, the process resulted in the removal of many controversial bits of the bill, such as those which related to the Crofters Commission, which I will not go into. The committee also supported an amendment by Alasdair Morrison to remove a reference to market value. There was some hyperbole at stage 1 about the entrenchment of market value by the bill in its original form. As has been said, the market-value issues are still there. I hope that the bill, as it is about to be passed, will help to dampen them down, perhaps by improving the regulation of crofts and by increasing the supply of crofts.
That brings me to the important provisions that are still in the bill. The creation of new crofts has been mentioned by other members, and I think that it is crucial. There are communities in Shetland and in other parts of Scotland that are keen to grasp the opportunity, so the extension of crofting beyond the crofting counties is important. The opportunities for forest crofts are also crucial. I attended a reception that was held last night by the Forestry Commission Scotland. It is clear that the Forestry Commission is on board with the idea of forest crofts. The Executive has also set up a steering group to consider forest crofts. Applying the crofting ethos to forestry by using forest land as common grazings have been used will create opportunities in rural areas.
Also important is the empowerment of the Crofters Commission to be proactive in cases of neglect. That will perhaps bring some other crofts into the hands of tenants who will work them properly. The Scottish Crofting Foundation has raised the issue of what the Crofters Commission could do under existing legislation. The SCF's concern is that the Crofters Commission has not been using the powers that it already has. I hope that the spotlight that the bill process has turned on the Crofters Commission will stiffen its resolve to use the powers that it currently has and those that have been augmented by the bill to more effect. In the eyes of crofters, those powers have been underused, particularly in dealing with neglect or absentee owners.
I believe that crofting has a future and a huge contribution to make in such areas as local food production, delivering environmental goods in the crofting lands and energy production—to name but a few. Crofting has a great future, and the committee of inquiry will show what it has to offer. As has been said, the bill is not the end of the process. It is clear, from the setting up of the committee of inquiry, that it is not meant to be the end. It is one step in the Parliament's reaffirmation of its support for crofting and its desire that crofting should be able to work better and offer still more to the areas in which it has sustained the communities for so long.
This is an occasion when the stage 3 debate is different from the stage 1 debate, because we were quite critical of the bill at stage 1. Some criticisms were justified—of the bill, of the process and perhaps of the people who drafted the bill as introduced. The bill provides an example of the parliamentary process working. The committee considered the bill and produced its stage 1 report, which the Executive, to its credit, took on board. I give an honourable mention to the former deputy minister, Rhona Brankin, who engaged realistically and genuinely and sometimes with great courage with the crofting interests and with the cross-party group on crofting and the committee. She took on board what was said and that should be acknowledged.
As has been said, the process resulted in the removal of many controversial bits of the bill, such as those which related to the Crofters Commission, which I will not go into. The committee also supported an amendment by Alasdair Morrison to remove a reference to market value. There was some hyperbole at stage 1 about the entrenchment of market value by the bill in its original form. As has been said, the market-value issues are still there. I hope that the bill, as it is about to be passed, will help to dampen them down, perhaps by improving the regulation of crofts and by increasing the supply of crofts.
That brings me to the important provisions that are still in the bill. The creation of new crofts has been mentioned by other members, and I think that it is crucial. There are communities in Shetland and in other parts of Scotland that are keen to grasp the opportunity, so the extension of crofting beyond the crofting counties is important. The opportunities for forest crofts are also crucial. I attended a reception that was held last night by the Forestry Commission Scotland. It is clear that the Forestry Commission is on board with the idea of forest crofts. The Executive has also set up a steering group to consider forest crofts. Applying the crofting ethos to forestry by using forest land as common grazings have been used will create opportunities in rural areas.
Also important is the empowerment of the Crofters Commission to be proactive in cases of neglect. That will perhaps bring some other crofts into the hands of tenants who will work them properly. The Scottish Crofting Foundation has raised the issue of what the Crofters Commission could do under existing legislation. The SCF's concern is that the Crofters Commission has not been using the powers that it already has. I hope that the spotlight that the bill process has turned on the Crofters Commission will stiffen its resolve to use the powers that it currently has and those that have been augmented by the bill to more effect. In the eyes of crofters, those powers have been underused, particularly in dealing with neglect or absentee owners.
I believe that crofting has a future and a huge contribution to make in such areas as local food production, delivering environmental goods in the crofting lands and energy production—to name but a few. Crofting has a great future, and the committee of inquiry will show what it has to offer. As has been said, the bill is not the end of the process. It is clear, from the setting up of the committee of inquiry, that it is not meant to be the end. It is one step in the Parliament's reaffirmation of its support for crofting and its desire that crofting should be able to work better and offer still more to the areas in which it has sustained the communities for so long.
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—