Scotland and the Crown Estate VII

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The Scotland Bill is now being considered by the House of Lords. As regular readers will be aware, I have been taking a close interest in the particular issue of the proposed changes in the administration of the Crown Estate in Scotland. As the Bill stands at the moment, Section 22 proposes that the Crown Estate Act 1961 be amended such that, in relation to the appointment of Commissioners,

“One of the Commissioners shall be appointed as the Scottish Crown Estate Commissioner, who must be a person who knows about conditions in Scotland as they relate to the functions of the Commissioners.”

and

“The Scottish Crown Estate Commissioner shall be appointed on the recommendation of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who shall consult the Scottish Ministers before making that recommendation.”

I know nobody (apart from Michael Moore et al) who believes that this change will deliver anything of consequence. Since the Calman Commission, the debate has moved on.

The Scotland Bill Committee is now considering the Bill, and will be making recommendations on a legislative consent memorandum (otherwise known as a Sewel motion) which is the mechanism used to enable the Scottish Parliament to consent to legislative changes at Westminster which impinge on the powers of the Scottish Parliament.

The Committee is currently taking evidence which will, in due course all be published on its website [broken link – Oct 2024].

Meanwhile, here is my own evidence which addresses Michael Moore’s three tests.