§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the present composition of the Scottish land court together with the dates on which each of the present members retires and any conditions such as a knowledge of Gaelic or a crofting background which will be applied to the filling of any vacancy.
§ Mr. YoungerThe Scottish land court consists of a chairman (the hon. Lord Elliott MC) and three members (Mr. A. B. Campbell OBE, Mr. A. Gillespie MBE and Mr. D. D. McDiarmid JP). The chairman has to be an advocate of 10 years' standing and has the same rank and tenure of office as if he had been appointed a judge of the Court of Session. He is required to retire on reaching age 75, and Lord Elliott will be 75 in September 1997. The members retire at age 65, respectively, in October 1986, June 1992 and November 1996. Members are required to have extensive experience of crofting and agriculture and preferably have some qualification in agriculture or related discipline and one must be a Gaelic speaker. Some knowledge of crofting and agricultural law as well as experience in valuation and arbitration are also regarded as desirable qualifications for any prospective members.