Land Reform (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum

Overview

About the Bill

The Bill makes changes to the law concerning land management, community engagement and right to buy and transfers of land as well as agricultural holdings and small landholdings.

Part 1 of the Bill is based on the Scottish Land Commission’s recommendations relating to the scale and concentration of land ownership.

Part 2 of the Bill supports the Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture and its ambition to “become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture”.

Current Status of the Bill

This Bill was introduced in the Scottish Parliament by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands on 13 March 2024.

Read and find out more about the Bill: Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Stage 1

The Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee has been designated as the lead Committee for the Bill. A separate call for views on the Bill’s policy provisions has been issued by the lead Committee and has been published on this consultation platform.

Financial Memorandum 

As with all Bills, the Finance and Public Administration Committee invites written evidence on the estimated financial implications of the Bill as set out in its accompanying Financial Memorandum (FM). 

Read the FM published alongside this Bill.

Making a Submission

Before making a submission, please read our Privacy Notice about submitting your views to a Committee. This tells you about how we process personal data. 

Please note that in most cases your submission will be published on the Scottish Parliament's website and may be quoted in the Committee's report or in Committee meetings (which are public and broadcast). 

Please use the Questionnaire provided for your submission:

1. Did you take part in any consultation exercise preceding the Bill and, if so, did you comment on the financial assumptions made?  

2. If applicable, do you believe your comments on the financial assumptions have been accurately reflected in the FM?  

3. Did you have sufficient time to contribute to the consultation exercise?

4. If the Bill has any financial implications for you or your organisation, do you believe that they have been accurately reflected in the FM? If not, please provide details. 

5. Do you consider that the estimated costs and savings set out in the FM are reasonable and accurate?  

6. If applicable, are you content that your organisation can meet any financial costs that it might incur as a result of the Bill? If not, how do you think these costs should be met?  

7. Does the FM accurately reflect the margins of uncertainty associated with the Bill’s estimated costs and with the timescales over which they would be expected to arise? 

The deadline to submit your views is: Tuesday 18 June 2024.

We welcome written views in English, Gaelic, Scots or any other language. Due to the time required to process and analyse evidence, late submissions will only be accepted with the agreement of the Committee Clerk.