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This situation did not arise as the additional statutory road and compulsory purchase orders required for a link road to Inchture are not in place.

In their decision letter following the Public Inquiry, Scottish ministers accepted the reporter's recommendation to give early consideration to funding the option of extending the link road through to Inchture Interchange. Due to higher priorities on the A90 and elsewhere on the trunk road network it has, to date, not proved possible to accommodate the link road in the current programme.

All the non-confidential responses to the consultation on the draft Land Reform (Scotland) Bill are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre. The consultation was not a referendum on any particular bill provision but rather sought views on the bill as a whole. Most considered responses were qualitative in nature and did not express outright support or opposition to any particular proposals.

As with any other crofting community right to buy application, an application for a right to buy salmon fishings would be required to include the information specified in section 70(5)(e), (f) and (g) of the bill and to succeed such an application must also meet criteria specified in section 71(1)(j), (k), (l) and (o). I am sure these requirements could not be successfully met without demonstrating how the on-going management of the salmon fishings is to be funded.

The meaning of "contiguous" is clear and unambiguous. It means "touching" or "sharing a border with". In the context of the bill contiguous salmon fishings must abut the croft land and they will only be eligible croft land insofar as they do so.

Salmon fishings which are "eligible croft land" for the purposes of section 67(4)(b) of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill are those defined as such by section 65(2)(d) of that bill.

We believe that there are advantages to be derived from being able to manage all land-based activities on a property in a holistic fashion. We consider that crofting communities should have that opportunity if they want it. The very existence of this right to buy is also a significant factor in altering the balance of power between the crofting community and landowners, including proprietors of salmon fishings.

None. Such arrangements may enable those who currently control and manage the fishings to continue to do so. The crofting community may still be able to purchase the salmon fishings and if they do so may benefit as owners from any revenues to be derived in the form of rent etc. from such arrangements.

There has been no such research undertaken or commissioned by the Scottish Executive.

The right to buy extends only to land which consists of salmon fishings as defined in section 65(2)(d). Where existing arrangements such as leases, timeshare or syndications are binding on the present owner, these arrangements will be binding on the new owner. Timeshare or syndication arrangements which constitute joint or common ownership would in theory be susceptible to purchase through the provisions of section 70(4). However, it may prove difficult to demonstrate that the purchase of fishings held under such arrangements would lead to sustainable development or be in the public interest. Furthermore, in many cases affordability is likely to be an issue for crofting community bodies. There is also a specific protection for tenancies in section 67(5).