The crofting community right to buy is intended to support the sustainable development of fragile crofting communities and has been created because we believe this is the only way to ensure the future of some communities. It is a means of removing a land based barrier to rural development.An application by a crofting community body to exercise the right to buy salmon fishings will not succeed unless the proposed acquisition will deliver sustainable development and be in the public interest. Each application will be considered on its merits and with reference to the criteria which ministers must take into account in reaching a decision. An application would not be considered to be in the public interest if granting that application would result in severe detriment to the sustainable development of other land. However, if a successful application results in severance and depreciation of other property section 85(6)(a)(ii) of the bill provides that the price paid should take account of this. It is, of course, also open to any owner of salmon fishings to seek to avoid problems of severance by negotiating a sale of all of his/her property to the crofting community.

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

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.

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).

This provision is to protect the interests of small groups of people whose activities and property would be affected by an application but who are not necessarily a party to the application. For example, it would protect the interests of an individual crofting township where an application is made in respect of a wider area of croft land which includes their land. Conversely it could also protect interests outwith the area of land covered by the application where a change in the ownership of the land covered by the application would have an adverse impact on them.

This is not a right which we would expect crofting communities to attempt to exercise frequently, but it will be there if they want it. It will also help to ensure that in future all landowners in the Highlands and Islands have a proper regard for the interests, needs and sustainable development of the fragile crofting communities in which their properties are located.

The objective of land reform is to remove land-based barriers to the sustainable development of rural communities. It is not expected that crofting communities will wish to exercise the crofting community right to buy unless the current ownership has proved to be just such a land based barrier. An application by a crofting community body to exercise the right to buy land will not succeed unless the proposed acquisition will deliver sustainable development and be in the public interest. Each application will be considered on its merits and with reference to the criteria which ministers must take into account in reaching a decision. An application would not be considered to be in the public interest if granting that application would result in severe detriment to the sustainable development of other land. It is, of course, open to any landowner to seek to avoid problems of severance by either utilising the provisions of section 76 of the bill or negotiating a sale of his/her property to the crofting community. In addition, if a successful application results in severance and depreciation of other property, section 85(6)(a)(ii) of the bill provides that the price paid should take account of this.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22209 on 6 February 2002.

The Scottish Executive provides core funding of £175,000 for Alcohol Focus Scotland, Scotland's national voluntary organisation on alcohol. Funding for local groups who provide support and treatment services for people with alcohol problems is provided by local authorities and NHS boards.

There is no universally accepted definition of an alcohol-related death. The information given in the following table relates to deaths certified as due to alcoholic liver disease, alcoholic cardiomyopathy and mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol.Deaths due to Alcoholic Liver Disease, Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy and Mental and Behavioural Disorders due to Alcohol in 1999-2001 by Gender.

	Males	Females	Total
1999	711	302	1,013
2000	791	338	1,129
2001	862	358	1,220

Source: General Register Office for Scotland.Notes:Alcohol-related conditions are defined using the World Health Organisation's International Classification of Diseases 9th and 10th Revisions (ICD9 and ICD10).Figures for 2001 are provisional.