Question reference: S6W-20514
- Asked by: Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 9 August 2023
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Current status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 22 August 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Crofting Commission processing times of applications for (a) decrofting, (b) apportionment and (c) registration, and whether processing times have improved in the last five years.
Answer
The Crofting Commission publishes its application processing times in its Annual Report & Accounts. The median turnaround times for applications completed during Q1 of 2023-24 is as follows:
Croft House decrofting: 11 weeks
Apportionment: 117 weeks
The croft registration process belongs to Registers of Scotland, therefore these figures are not readily available.
Whilst the Commission’s capacity for processing casework declined in 2021-22, an increase to its budget in the last two years has enabled it to expand its staff resource and improvements are being made. The apportionment cases now being cleared include some of those affected by delays in 2021-22, or earlier.