Chamber and committees

We are committed to community wealth building in Scotland that will help deliver a stronger, more resilient and sustainable wellbeing economy.

One of the five pillars of community wealth building is the socially productive use of land and property which considers land not solely for its economic use, but also its social and ecological potential. More progressive use of land and property assets can have a significant impact on the fortunes of local people and enterprise, empowering communities to develop the land or asset as they see fit for the benefit of their local area. This requires us to think not just in terms of ownership and use, but also about stewardship for future generations.

The Scottish Government are committed to community wealth building and for the first time have appointed a Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth. The Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform and Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth, who will lead on community wealth, will work together throughout this Parliamentary session. The Programme for Government commits us to grow community wealth building (CWB) in Scotland as part of our commitment to building a stronger, more resilient and sustainable economy.

We plan to double the Scottish Land Fund to £20 million per year by the end of this Parliament. This can facilitate more opportunities for communities seeking to explore the acquisition of land/assets and also the actual acquisition of land/assets.

As set out in our manifesto, we will introduce a new Land Reform bill in the current session.

The Scottish Government has made significant progress in addressing injustices in land ownership, specifically through the 2016 Land Reform Act. However, we recognise that there is more to do and are committed to land reform on an ongoing basis. As set out in our manifesto, we will introduce a new Land Reform bill in the current session.

Everyone has a stake in Scotland’s land and everyone should benefit from Scotland’s land. In September 2017, the Scottish Government published the Scottish Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement, the first of its kind anywhere in the world. Taking a human rights approach, it sets out a vision of a strong and dynamic relationship between Scotland’s land and its people, where our land contributes to a modern and successful country and where land rights and responsibilities are recognised and fulfilled.

We have also committed to double the Scottish Land Fund to £20 million per year by the end of this Parliament to provide further support to communities wishing to acquire assets. We look forward to working with parliament and society to take forward this work together to create a fairer Scotland.

We are committed to increasing the Scottish Land Fund (SLF) to £20m by the end of this parliament and the profile for this is currently being considered as part of the ongoing budget.

The SLF provides important support to communities and between 2016 and 2021, 232 groups were awarded a total of £39m. However, it is not the only source of funding available and we would encourage any community to consider all avenues when seeking to fund acquisition.

The way in which land is owned, managed and used is centrally important to many of our national priorities, especially in meeting the twin challenges of the climate and biodiversity crises and supporting thriving communities and a green recovery. Everyone has a stake in Scotland’s land and everyone should benefit from Scotland’s land.

Community ownership has long been a key focus for land reform, and the Scottish Government continues to support communities to take ownership of land and assets. In the last parliament, we implemented legislation to extend community rights to buy to include a right to buy land to further sustainable development. Communities in Scotland now have more options than ever before to take ownership of land and assets, including several distinct rights to buy, and they can now choose which route to community ownership best suits their aspirations.

We are committed to a further Land Reform Bill in this Parliament and a full and comprehensive public consultation will be run prior to its introduction in order to allow key stakeholders and the public an opportunity to provide their views. We are beginning the work necessary to progress this in the new Parliamentary session and will update Parliament of timings in due course.

As I have confirmed to Parliament, I am open to constructive and viable suggestions for improving matters and we are actively exploring opportunities for chartering additional tonnage to increase resilience across the network.

Chartering an additional freight vessel for the Stornoway-Ullapool route from June to September, in order to free up deck capacity for resident and visitor vehicles, was identified as a short-term option in recent Outer Hebrides Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) study report. However, charter options for such a freight vessel have not been readily available. We would also need to carefully consider the business case around charter, purchase or new build of a vessel as part of work for the Islands Connectivity Plan.

The breakdown on the MV Loch Seaforth caused unacceptable disruption for our island communities. It is imperative the causes of that breakdown are understood and lessons properly learned so that we avoid this situation arising again in future. The cause of the breakdown remains subject to ongoing investigation. It would be inappropriate to comment further until that investigation is complete .

In relation to short term issues, we are actively exploring opportunities for chartering additional tonnage, including consideration of the suitability of the MV Pentalina and looking at other credible, affordable and viable options to improve resilience.

The cause of the breakdown remains subject to ongoing investigation. It would be inappropriate to comment further until that investigation is complete.

Transport Scotland (TS) and the Scottish Government Islands Team meet regularly with elected members and officers of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar to discuss a range of ferries issues including future planning and have also engaged on the Comhairle's Local Transport Strategy. The Comhairle were also a partner in a recent study, commissioned and funded by TS, of future options for ferry services to, from and within the Outer Hebrides. The Comhairle has produced a paper setting out proposals for ferry service improvements and future vessel investments and an initial meeting to discuss this with government officials has been arranged.