Land Reform Bill will 'lift veil of secrecy'
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THE historic new Land Reform Bill will "lift the veil of secrecy" on who really owns Scotland, according to the group which represents community landowners.
Community Land Scotland was speaking after MSPs approved a bill reforming land management in the Scottish Parliament yesterday.
More than 140 amendments were discussed during the long debate at Holyrood before MSPs voted 102 to 14 to approve it.
Labour supported the SNP over the reform proposals while the Conservatives voted against them.
Measures in the bill include:
* Creating a register of people with controlling interests in land
* Provisions to force land sales if owners are judged to block economic development
* The creation of a Land Commission to keep land policy and reform needs under review
* New rights for tenant farmers to assign their tenancy to a wider range of people
A spokesman for Community Land Scotland said: "The passage of the Land Reform Bill represents important progress in taking Scotland further down the road toward more enlightened land laws and in extending the rights of communities to own land.
"The bill that is completing its parliamentary scrutiny is far stronger than the Bill that entered parliament, because of hard work and sound scrutiny in which we have been pleased to play a part.
"The new register of the people who really own or control land in Scotland will lift a veil of secrecy which has allowed all too many owners to hide behind shell companies registered overseas. Our right to roam Scotland’s land will soon be matched by the right to know who owns Scotland’s land.
"The Land Commission and the Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement create the foundations for continuing reform of land policy and land laws.
"Importantly, in framing the land statement future government Ministers will be under duties to consider the realisation of the human rights of ordinary Scots at the heart of future policy. Those are people’s rights to decent housing, to economic development and jobs, to a safe and sustainable environment, and to secure food – all matters affected by how our land is owned and used.
"The journey of land reform is far from over, but today represents another important staging post along the road."
