Current status: Answered by Kirsten Oswald on 31 August 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a timescale for the Scottish Land Court taking on jurisdiction for outdoor access cases under sections 14 and 28 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, as provided for in the Crofting and Scottish Land Court Act 2026.
Many of the measures in the Crofting and Scottish Land Court Act (Scotland) 2026, including the merger of the Scottish Land Court with the Lands Tribunal for Scotland and amendments to the jurisdiction of the Court, will be brought into force by secondary legislation and will therefore be subject to Parliamentary business and timetabling arrangements. It is intended that the expanded Court will be established and operationally ready before other changes to its jurisdiction such as those relating to the 2003 Act are brought in. Officials are currently taking forward the action required to commence the provisions in the Act relating to the Court, and timescales are still to be finalised.