The Rural Development Committee's detailed study into 'The Impact of Changing Employment Patterns in Rural Scotland' makes 21 recommendations for action, mainly in the areas of economic development and transport. The report represents the findings of the Committee after more than six months research and investigation of the issues. As well as forming a vital baseline for the committee's future work, we must hope that it will have a wider benefit in taking forward, at the highest level, the crucial debate on rural Scotland's economic future. The main conclusion of this detailed piece of work is that the combination of poverty and the decline of traditional industries is a threat to the sustainability of rural life as we know it in Scotland. The Committee set out to examine the impact of changing employment patterns on Rural Scotland.
Rural areas are under-represented in all the key growth areas in the Scottish economy.
Transport was the single issue about which concern was most frequently expressed. Problems were cited throughout the inquiry, not just in the autumn when fuel prices became a national issue. Poverty in rural areas is distinct to that elsewhere in Scotland because it is highly dispersed and common amongst older people. Rural Scotland's distinctive economies require distinctive approaches and the Committee has made 21 recommendations for action. Introduction of an early retirement scheme for tenant farmers through the Rural Development Regulations.