Chamber and committees

Thank you, Bob. Mark Ruskell has a supplementary question.

Jackie Dunbar, you wanted to come in before I go on to my next questions.

May I interrupt? My recollection is that that review is due to report in December.

Okay. Indulge me, Bob. Which area do you feel that you did not have enough engagement on?

I am not sure that that specifically answered my question. I was trying to delve into whether the Scottish Tenant Farmers Association, Scottish Land & Estates, NFU Scotland, the Scottish Agricultural Arbiters and Valuers Association, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Agriculture Law Association as well as the Scottish Government had a big input into part 2 of the bill.

Thank you. I would never suggest that you were a “new boy” to this game, Mr Russell. You have been pioneering land reform for some time, so I will not take the “new boy” bit—I am sure that you come with views.

Jackie Dunbar, do you want to come in with a question in this area?

Bob McIntosh, I know that you will want to answer in some detail. We will look at part 2 of the bill later in the session, when some of these questions might be answered, but I am happy for you to give an answer about all that you have achieved.

Bob Doris is joining us remotely.

Is that a failure?

I would find it odd if the commissioner, if there is to be one, could make that decision without taking professional advice, because only a limited number of professionals understand that aspect of the market and can do that work well.

If somebody wanted to sell a bit of a landholding that was over 1,000 hectares to a small community group but they did not want to sell the rest of it, would that require lotting?