…the blog and website of Andy Wightman
The Scottish Government has published its formal response to the Scotland Bill in a series of letters available here. [original link archived – letters mentioned will be somewhere here – July 2024] Of particular interest is its response on the
Continue readingThe Scotland Bill received its 2nd reading in the House of Commons yesterday (27 Jan 2011). The following extracts are the totality of references to the future of the Crown Estate in Scotland. The ten Minute rule bill referred to
Continue readingFollowing previous posts (click on “Crown Estate” in category list on the right) pointing to the scrutiny of the Scotland Bill by the Scotland Bill Committee of the Scottish Parliament, it is time to get ready for the process at
Continue readingI will be in Parliament tomorrow (Tuesday 18 January) giving evidence to the Justice Committee on the Long Leases (Scotland) Bill. I will be seeking to exempt common good land from the provisions of the bill which allows for all
Continue readingThe following piece was published in the Observer on 16 January 2010 and is reproduced here with the addition of annotated footnotes and hyperlinks. Last week, I received an email from the campaigning group 38 Degrees imploring me to sign
Continue readingToday I submitted my written evidence to the Scotland Bill Committee of the Scottish Parliament. I am calling for the Crown Estate Commissioners to be removed from any role in the administration of Scotland’s Crown rights. This is a historic
Continue readingI have today submitted written evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee on the Long Leases (Scotland) Bill. It focusses on the impact the Bill will have on common good land. Those following this matter may also be interested in
Continue readingBBC Radio Scotland’s Out of Doors programme ran a piece on “What is Scotland’s Land” for a couple of weeks ago. Apparently the whole panel were rather uncritical of the current subsidy regime. They were David Cameron (North Harris Trust),
Continue readingThe Scottish Government consultation on land registration closed on 30 November 2010. Apart from the professional classes in property and law, it received little publicity or attention from civil society in Scotland. This reflects a long tradition of legal reforms
Continue readingFollowing a European Court of Justice Ruling, the Scottish Government has removed all data on public subsidies paid to farmers from its website. The ruling stated that European legislation that obliges member states to publish data on the beneficiaries of
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