May 18, 2011
Control over crown estate
One of the early targets for the new SNP Government is a revised and strengthened Scotland Bill which is currently working its way through Westminster. A key aspect of this is control of the Crown Estates of Scotland so that the benefits accruing from off shore renewable energy in particular, flow more directly to Scotland’s coastal communities than is currently the case. The Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster has just launched an enquiry into the Crown Estate. Submissions by 10th June
Committee launches new inquiry into the Crown Estate in Scotland
During its inquiry to the Scotland Bill, the Scottish Affairs Committee received a significant amount of evidence, which identified a number of concerns and issues in relation to the administration of the Crown Estate in Scotland. On 17 February 2011 the Committee announced that it would conduct an inquiry in to the Crown Estate in Scotland, and that terms of reference would be published in due course.
The Crown Estate Commissioners (CEC) are a public body responsible for the management of the Crown properties and property rights known as the Crown Estate.
The Committee would welcome submissions on the following:
• The management and governance of the Crown Estate in Scotland
• The role and mandate of the Crown Estate Commissioners
• The interaction between the Crown Estate Commissioners and UK, devolved and local government.
In particular, the Committee would welcome responses to the following questions in relation to the Crown Estate Commissioners:
• Do the CEC serve a useful purpose in Scotland?
• What is/should be the role of the CEC in investing in Scotland?
• What is the legacy of the CEC in Scotland?
• Are the current management, administration and accountability arrangements of the CEC appropriate?
• How could the CEC best act in the public interest in Scotland?
The Committee welcomes written evidence from interested parties on any, or all, aspects of the inquiry by 10 June 2011. Should you wish to submit written evidence after this date, please contact Committee staff. The Committee will be arranging public oral evidence sessions, and details of these will be announced in due course.
Submissions should be in Word or rich text format and sent by e-mail to scotaffcom@parliament.uk.
Do not send in pdf format.
The body of the e-mail must include a contact name, telephone number and postal address. The e-mail should also make clear who the submission is from.
Submissions must address the terms of the inquiry and should not, as a rule, exceed 2,000 words. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference, and the document should include an executive summary.