Duty to establish and maintain register
Section 3: The Crofting Register
9.Section 3 provides for the establishment of a new public register of crofts, common grazings and land held runrig to be held by the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland (referred to hereafter as “the Keeper”). Subsection (2) provides for this register to be known as the “Crofting Register”. At present, section 41 of the 1993 Act confers responsibility on the Commission to compile and maintain a Register of Crofts. This register is an administrative register, does not contain maps or information on the boundaries of crofts and often relies upon crofters and owner-occupiers informing the Commission when there is a change to the extent of, or interests in the croft. The Commission will maintain the Register of Crofts until such time as it has been completely replaced by the Crofting Register. The Commission will continue to keep administrative records of regulatory decisions they have taken in relation to crofts; however, the new Crofting Register will provide a definitive and current record of the extent of, and interests in, a croft. Once the Crofting Register is complete, it will be necessary to repeal the provisions relating to the current register.
