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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 21 December 2024
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Displaying 4180 contributions

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Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]

MV Glen Sannox (Hull 801) and MV Glen Rosa (Hull 802)

Meeting date: 26 November 2024

Edward Mountain

So, £40 million is not an unreasonable figure if salaries are £23 million—which, you have said, is roughly your biggest cost.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]

Land Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 26 November 2024

Edward Mountain

I know that Kevin Stewart wants to come in, but before we move on, I will add that, in many cases, land management plans will be based on the principle of people running a business—they will have developed a land management plan to dovetail into their business and meet with the community needs where possible.

If my business was farming, for example—I have already declared that I am a farmer—my land management plan, if I were required to do it, would be about farming. If I sold the land, somebody might buy it to plant trees to meet the Government’s objective to plant trees, which might not meet the community’s need. By making a land management plan enforceable for a period of time, will you distort the land value? If so, how will you compensate it? I am saying that as a surveyor as well.

11:45  

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]

Land Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 26 November 2024

Edward Mountain

We will get into non-compliance later, but I can see that interfering with the land market will come at some cost, and I am trying to figure out that cost.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]

Land Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 26 November 2024

Edward Mountain

Welcome back.

Agenda item 3 is an evidence session on the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill. We will hear from a panel of legal experts, and our focus will be on part 1 of the bill.

I am pleased to welcome Malcolm Combe, who is present in the room and is a senior lecturer in law at the University of Strathclyde. I also welcome Calum MacLeod, who joins us online and is a solicitor in practice in Inverness. Calum, we understand that you are speaking in a personal capacity as a specialist in this area of the law, and not on behalf of your firm. You have nodded, so I am sure that you agree with that.

I also welcome Rhoda Grant MSP, who is online. She will get to ask some questions at the end of the session.

I remind members of my interest in a family farming partnership in Moray, as set out in the register of members’ interests. Specifically, I declare an interest as an owner of approximately 500 acres of farmed land, of which 50 acres is woodland. I also declare that I am a tenant of approximately 500 acres in Moray under a non-agricultural tenancy, and that I have another farming tenancy under the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland Act) 1991. I also declare that I occasionally take on grass lets for my cattle.

We have allowed an hour and a bit for this part of the meeting.

We will now go to questions. I get to ask the first one, which is the easy one at the beginning. Malcolm, I ask you to say a little bit about your experience in land reform, so that people are aware of it.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]

Land Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 26 November 2024

Edward Mountain

Thank you. We move on to Calum MacLeod.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]

Land Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 26 November 2024

Edward Mountain

Okay. So it is about keeping it simple.

Deputy convener, over to you.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]

Land Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 26 November 2024

Edward Mountain

I have a few quickfire questions to end with. Mark Ruskell said that a £5,000 fine did not seem very much, but I think that it might be a huge amount to very small farmers and landowners. Is there an argument for scaling the fine against the assets held and the size of the management plan? I am just thinking of ways around that, because £5,000 is going to be a massive amount of money to small-scale landowners, though not to some of the bigger investment companies. Would you go for scaling—yes or no?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]

Land Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 26 November 2024

Edward Mountain

I need not have been worried, because we have now got to Rhoda Grant. It is time for your questions, Rhoda.

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]

Land Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 26 November 2024

Edward Mountain

I do not quite understand whether the proposed land and communities commissioner would fall within the Land Commission, or whether they would have a separate role. Calum MacLeod suggested that it might cause some problems if the Land Commission took on a regulatory role. Are you in favour of keeping the role of the land and communities commissioner completely separate?

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]

MV Glen Sannox (Hull 801) and MV Glen Rosa (Hull 802)

Meeting date: 26 November 2024

Edward Mountain

Thank you. We move to questions from the deputy convener.