HC Deb 29 March 1955 vol 539 c232
The Lord Advocate

I beg to move, in page 14, line 46, to leave out "so directs " and insert: directs under this subsection or under subsection (7) of this section that a croft shall cease to be a croft. This is purely a drafting Amendment. It is consequential upon the Amendment made on recommittal to insert a new subsection (7) in the Clause.

Mr. T. Fraser

I take it that the Amendment bears out something which I said in the course of discussion on Recommittal, namely, that this presupposes that land which has hitherto been a croft will cease to be a croft because the Commission has declared the croft vacant under Clause 17 or has terminated the tenancy of an unsatisfactory tenant for bad husbandry under Clause 21. Therefore, in those circumstances, we shall find the Commission taking out of crofting husbandry land which has hitherto belonged to the croft. It is in those circumstances that buildings will be separated from the land. The Secretary of State will be required now to purchase buildings notwithstanding that he will have little use for them, since they are no longer going to be attached to the croft land.

The Lord Advocate

A situation of that kind might arise but, so far from the Secretary of State having to have the houses, there was considerable discussion in Committee about the desirability of the Secretary of State having a pool of houses, for example, for aged crofters. Therefore, some good may come out of this.

Amendment agreed to.

The Lord Advocate

I beg to move, in page 15, line 14, to leave out " (3) to (8) of this section shall " and insert: (1) and (9) of this section shall not. The purpose of the Amendment and of the Amendment which follows is merely to remove doubt, which I hope it does, and to show the close relationship between crofts declared vacant and vacant crofts. It is purely intended to make the matter more intelligible, and I hope that hon. Members will realise that that is what it does.

Amendment agreed to.

Further Amendment made: In page 15, line 17, leave out from " vacant " to end of line 18.—[The Lord Advocate.]