Chamber and committees

Crofting is a subject that is never far from my inbox—nor is the issue of crofting reform. It is clear that substantial change to 150 years’ worth of crofting legislation cannot be achieved in a single bill, but the bill that is before us is an important first step towards wider reform. It is my view that an additional bill will be needed in the next parliamentary session.

I thank the other members of the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, our officials and the witnesses for their input into our report. I particularly mention the visit that the committee’s convener Mr Carson and I were able to make to Skye. I believe that that visit was useful in informing the report and its conclusion that the committee should back the general principles of the bill. I also thank the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity for his direct engagement with me on the bill and, more importantly, for his engagement with the wider committee.

Part 1 of the bill focuses on nine key areas, including: expanding the powers of the Crofting Commission; streamlining the administration of crofting duties; amending the crofting register; and enabling more use of digital communication between crofters and the commission. It also introduces provisions for the environmental use of crofts and common grazings and sets out definitions of a “crofting community” and an “owner-occupier”. Part 2 of the bill merges the Scottish Land Court and the Lands Tribunal for Scotland, and part 3 contains more general provisions.

As the committee report says, crofting does not function without effective regulation. There are still concerns about the number of crofts that are abandoned or where the crofter is a long-term absentee. Likewise, there are concerns about the need for enforcement action on that to allow new entrants easier access to crofting. The committee welcomes the emphasis on the environment that is evident throughout the bill, but it is also keen to see safeguards to prevent any wholesale abandonment of agricultural land in the name of environmental use.

It is outwith the scope of this bill, but in the future we must see legislation to tackle issues created by the marketisation of crofts that has happened in recent years. As the minister said in November last year, the current bill will prepare the ground for what comes next by helping to increase residency levels and active croft use to allow consideration of what will be needed thereafter to increase the number of new entrants into crofting and to sustain support for existing crofters.

As the Scottish Crofting Federation has noted, work on more fundamental reform must get under way during session 7 with a review of crofting policy and law. That must be followed by the introduction of further legislation and the continuation of the robust engagement with stakeholders that there has been to date in this complex area of law.

I have no doubt that, in the course of stage 2, I will be among the committee members seeking to lodge amendments to improve the bill that is before us. However, I believe that the bill is an important step forward for crofting reform and that stakeholders will want to see it pass. I am therefore happy to commend the committee’s report to members.

All will appreciate the budget’s support with the cost of living during what is such a financially challenging time for so many people. My constituency has some of the highest fuel poverty rates in the country. Will the cabinet secretary outline what specific support is included in the budget for those in rural and island areas who struggle with rising bills?

Efforts to protect children and young people from harm are a priority for all members. How is the Scottish Government working to ensure that support for survivors is trauma informed and accessible?

Yes.

It is always an appropriate time to bring in Alasdair Allan for a question—not least in the new year.

As we have heard, there are different types of land, different types of land use and, I presume, different degrees to which carbon sequestration can be achieved. Will the witnesses say a bit more about the per-hectare target and whether they think that it works?

The Government also has a strategy on biodiversity. You mentioned the importance of ensuring that whatever we do for carbon will also be good for biodiversity. How do those two things intersect?

I think that you said that the majority of UK tree planting is happening in Scotland. In a second, I will move on to some of the specific stuff about sequestration, but can you say something about species, the possibly changing role that Scotland is playing and the targets that Scotland is setting itself for the planting of native species?

A lot of the conversation has been about what it means to have the right tree in the right place. The draft climate change plan has factored in a

“10% ‘stretch’ in CO2 removals”

from woodland creation due to

“improved location, species and management of trees.”

Is that a fair assumption? Do you have views on its workability?

Please do not take it from my question that I am seeking to polarise. I agree with what you say, but I am interested to know a bit more about how you all approach the perceived tension around issues such as ensuring habitat and biodiversity, avoiding monoculture and maintaining soil quality in the future. Before the convener brings people in, I think that you will find agreement around the table about multiyear funding, although some of us are quite keen to ensure that the Scottish Government also gets multiyear funding, which would make all of this a lot easier.

I welcome the Scottish Government’s work with the Scottish Legal Aid Board and others on those issues. Can the minister set out what more can be done to assist in attracting trainee solicitors to our islands to practise law and improve access to rural legal aid, and what the Government will be able to do in its next conversations with the SLAB and the Law Society of Scotland on those issues?