THE Scottish Government is being urged to bolster plans to improve transparency on land ownership.
The Holyrood Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee say in a new report that much of Scotland’s land will remain outside the proposed Register of Controlled Interests in Land.
The purpose of the new regulations is to make the land ownership system more accessible.
MSPs also found that there could be gaps or loopholes in the scheme.
The committee blamed that on the proposals currently relying on multiple registers and excluding information which is already available in the public domain.
The committee is now calling on the Scottish Government to reconsider its approach, so as to ensure that the proposed land register contains a more thorough accounting of
ownership.
The committee is also looking for assurances that all the data will be accessible via a single point and free to use.
MSPs have been scrutinising draft regulations that will establish a Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land.
The Land Reform Act 2016 granted the Scottish Government the legislative power to create a register and the draft regulations.
The committee’s role is to consider government proposals and provide further detail on how they could be implemented.
SNP MSP and committee convener Gillian Martin commented: “The committee was very clear in its conclusions. There should be transparency over who owns Scotland’s land, who takes decisions over its management and who benefits from its ownership.
“However, in looking at the proposed register, there are a number of areas of concern.
“We need to ensure the information on those who have control over land is transparent, easy to use and the information is available in one place.
“We are therefore calling on the Scottish Government to address these issues when they finalise the detail of their proposals.”
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