The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 4180 contributions
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
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]
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.
11:45Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
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]
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]
Meeting date: 26 November 2024
Edward Mountain
Thank you. We move on to Calum MacLeod.
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee [Draft]
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]
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]
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]
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]
Meeting date: 26 November 2024
Edward Mountain
Thank you. We move to questions from the deputy convener.