Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead met yesterday with the Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Moore, to discuss the accountability of the Crown Estate Commissioners in Scotland.

Mr Lochhead said: “I had a constructive meeting with the Secretary of State for Scotland, at which we agreed that greater transparency and accountability for the Crown Estate in Scotland was needed. We have agreed to work closely together on how this can be achieved. To help take this forward, the Scottish Government will be sharing a paper setting out our proposals on how this can be achieved.

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“There is a growing consensus that a review of the Crown Estate in Scotland is needed. Post-devolution it is an anomaly in that Crown Estate Commissioners – who manage the seabed up to 12 miles from shore as well as the foreshore along with a number of large inland estates – are not accountable to Scottish Ministers or the Scottish people.

“In the coming weeks we will look to consult widely on the legislation that may be required to ensure that the communities of Scotland benefit from the exploitation of our natural resources. The Crown Estate is the only public body that currently accrues a direct benefit from offshore development. While we work well with Crown Estate Commissioners, change is needed so that the people of Scotland see real benefits from our offshore renewables.”

On Monday Mr Lochhead will meet with the convenors of six Highland and Islands local authorities to hold discussions on the Crown Estate.

(GK)