QUESTION:  Why are you giving the crofting estate of Barra to the Scottish Ministers?

ANSWER:  Active personal management of a crofting estate is both challenging and rewarding.  But it is also demanding and time-consuming.  Having put in almost 35 years at this job and beginning to slow down at age 74, I decided that it was time to retire. Giving the crofting estate to SEERAD seems an excellent way to ensure continued good management in both the short and the long term.

QUESTION:  What will you and your family’s relationship with Barra be when you are no longer a crofting landlord?

ANSWER:  It will remain home for us.  The crofting estate is just one of our many contacts there.  Among others are our ongoing connections with Kisimul Castle, our home in Garrygall, and, above all, our friends and acquaintances in the Island. 

We spend a great deal of time on Barra and expect to continue to do so. Being relieved of the administration of the crofting estate will free up much time, making it possible to participate in Barra life in other ways  which we hope may be useful.

For example, my elder son Rory and I are both working actively as agents of the Barra Community Councils Joint Air Services Committee.  We expect to continue doing so until the island air services are fully secured for the indefinite future.  Barra and its welfare are important to all of us and we anticipate continuing as active members of the community.

QUESTION:  What, if any, consultation did you have with crofters and other members of the local community before you made this agreement?

ANSWER:  I made discreet inquiries to find out whether crofters currently tenants of SEERAD’s estates in Barra and Vatersay consider SEERAD to be a good landlord.  The responses to those inquiries were affirmative.

QUESTION:  What of the effect of the transfer on possible community ownership?

ANSWER:  The transfer of control to SEERAD will leave the situation respecting community ownership unchanged, except that there is now an additional option:  Barra-wide or Barra-and–Vatersay-wide community ownership.

QUESTION:  Does SEERAD’s attitude towards community ownership differ from yours?

ANSWER:  Not as far as I know.

QUESTION:  What is your attitude towards community ownership in Barra and Vatersay?

ANSWER:  It is essential that any move towards community ownership be both initiated and led throughout by the people of Barra and Vatersay without outside pressure.

It is equally essential that at every stage a substantial majority of both crofters and non-crofters resident in Barra and Vatersay are agreed to take the next step and make the decision to do so only in the most open and democratic ways possible.

And finally, the body established to own and manage the estate must itself be structured to be as possible and controlled entirely by Barra and Vatersay residents through democratic processes. If all of this happens and the decision is for community ownership, then I shall be an enthusiastic supporter.

QUESTION:  What is your view of the proposal for community ownership of South Uist Estates, which  has been quite controversial?

ANSWER:  I think it would be a trifle impertinent for someone from Barra to comment publicly on what the people of Uist are doing or not doing about community ownership.

QUESTION:  What about the possibility that the Barra and Vatersay estate might become merged into community ownership with South Uist?

ANSWER:  That is possible only if a strong and definite majority of both crofters and the wider community in Barra and Vatersay want it to happen.  I very much doubt if that will ever be the case.  My own view is that any such a merger would be a serious mistake, because the people of Barra and Vatersay should manage their own affairs.

QUESTION:  When will the actual transfer to the Scottish Ministers be made?

ANSWER:  As soon as all the legal details can be handled, which I hope will not take more than two or three months.

Ian R MacNeil of Barra