Land Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at 3:09 pm on 20 March 2002.

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Photo of Bill Aitken Bill Aitken Conservative 3:09, 20 March 2002

Let me make some progress.

With regard to part 1 of the bill, we are fully supportive of those who seek to access the countryside responsibly. Scotland has a great deal to offer in respect of scenery and the great outdoors and, for both social and economic reasons, we would encourage all Scotland's citizens to see what our country has to offer. With regard to access, I have to ask what the problem is. Pauline McNeill alluded to the fact that the current state of the law is uncertain and the Justice 2 Committee was placed in genuine difficulty. Part of that difficulty was caused by the lack of any modern or current case law, which indicates clearly that there has been a lack of contention or dispute. It was difficult to find any contemporary judgments to assist, but what was clear from the evidence was that the vast majority of people who seek to access the land do so without let or hindrance and have done so for years. Even the Ramblers Association, an organisation for which I have developed considerable respect, had great difficulty in providing more than one example of where a difficult situation had arisen.