Centenary of the Land Settlement Act

That the Parliament notes the centenary of the Land Settlement (Scotland) Act 1919, which enabled the purchase of land by the state that could then be sub-divided into smaller holdings to be let to men returning from the First World War; acknowledges that this piece of legislation, while not as well known or appreciated as other land reform initiatives in Scotland's history, had a huge impact on life, landownership and society in the Highlands and Islands and created the conditions for the community buyout movement; understands that the provisions of the Act allowed the purchase by the Board of Agriculture for Scotland, either by agreement or compulsorily, of lands anywhere in Scotland, subject to the approval of the Secretary for Scotland and Treasury, and directed the Board to give a preference for applicants who had served in the armed forces; recognises that it led to significant amounts of depopulated land being put to crofting occupation, with the existence of many crofting communities in places such as Harris, the west side of Uist, the north and west of Skye and in Raasay stemming from the resettlement initiatives that took place around the early 20th century, and welcomes the series of events that are being organised by the Centre for Scotland’s Land Futures, with support from the Kinloch Historical Society and Historical Geography Research Group, which will take place between 26 to 28 September 2019 in Lewis and Harris and will feature keynote papers from Professors James Hunter and Ewen Cameron.