The Scottish Parliament has passed the Government's Crofting Reform (Scotland) Bill which aims to tackle absenteeism, neglect and speculation and protect crofting for future generations.

Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham said: "This is a monumental day in the long history of crofting. Today we can start to reverse the decline of this way of life and begin work to ensure that, once again, it forms the backbone of our remote, rural communities.

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"By tackling speculation and addressing absenteeism and the neglect and misuse of crofts we will put an end to the major issues preventing the creation of modern, sustainable crofting communities.

"We will introduce a democratically accountable Commission that will reflect and respond to the concerns of crofters. Also, finally, we will have a meaningful and accurate register of land held in crofting tenure which will ensure that we can better protect crofting for future generations."

The Crofting Reform Bill was introduced to Parliament on December 9, 2009 and follows the 2006 Bill and the subsequent Committee of Inquiry on Crofting.

(GK)