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Seòmar agus comataidhean

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 4 May 2021
  6. Current session: 13 May 2021 to 18 September 2025
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Displaying 626 contributions

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Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee [Draft]

Interests

Meeting date: 16 September 2025

Rhoda Grant

Is that better? Can you hear me?

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee [Draft]

Interests

Meeting date: 16 September 2025

Rhoda Grant

[Inaudible.]

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee [Draft]

Interests

Meeting date: 16 September 2025

Rhoda Grant

I will very quickly say that I have no relevant interests.

Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee [Draft]

Interests

Meeting date: 16 September 2025

Rhoda Grant

[Inaudible.]

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

Land Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Meeting date: 24 June 2025

Rhoda Grant

The concern that my amendment 382 and other amendments in the group try to address is the unintended consequence where it may be more cost effective for a landowner to resume the whole farm rather than part of it, if they need part of it for development. My amendment is quite simple; it just suggests that the valuation should take that into account. However, I am happy to have further discussions with the cabinet secretary, because I think that we need to sort that out. I am not seeking to constrain the compensation that a tenant would get in any way—it is right that they should be compensated. However, if the unintended consequence is that they lose their whole farm rather than part of it, that is obviously not a good situation to be in. On the understanding that we might have discussions ahead of stage 3 on how to sort out that anomaly, I will not move my amendment.

09:15  

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 11 June 2025

Rhoda Grant

Is there sufficient balance in the proposed aims of the national park between the protection of natural heritage and the sustainable economic development of communities? We have been speaking to the national parks and have learned that their plans were very focused on housing, because there is a degree of need for it, with people not being able to live in the national parks. Do the new aims in relation to the functions of the national park reflect that aspect?

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 11 June 2025

Rhoda Grant

Okay.

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Galloway and Ayrshire National Park Proposal

Meeting date: 11 June 2025

Rhoda Grant

There is an opportunity to make amendments to the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill. What lessons can be learned from the national park process that we might be able to reflect in the bill?

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Galloway and Ayrshire National Park Proposal

Meeting date: 11 June 2025

Rhoda Grant

I was thinking more about lessons in relation to building local support. Obviously, there was not local support in Galloway, but, in the early stages of the process, I was aware that there were several areas of the Highlands and Islands where people tried to build support for a national park designation, and I was surprised at the pushback against that. When we were considering legislating and people were talking about future national parks, there seemed to be a head of steam in favour of national parks, but, suddenly, there was quite a big pushback whereby people in areas where I thought that national park status might have been wanted said that they did not want it.

How should we approach the issue of building local support? Maybe we should also think about how to deal with local concerns, because people have told me that the board would not listen to them. Is that a reflection of how the two boards that we have at the moment are working? How do we make the process more open, get people involved and make them feel that they have a voice on whether they want a national park?

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Galloway and Ayrshire National Park Proposal

Meeting date: 11 June 2025

Rhoda Grant

I think that there was community engagement, but it was about who was carrying out that engagement. Where were the trusted voices? People felt that, the moment someone was consulting them, it was a done deal and that that was the aim of the exercise. Therefore, people either took fright and said no or they were very positive about it. Views became entrenched very early on, and it felt as though there was no open and honest conversation about what the proposal could be, how we could shape it and what input we would have if it went ahead. It almost felt as though we missed a stage at the very start, before having the wider consultation.