The Parliament's Rural Affairs and Environment Committee is heading to Lerwick during March as part of their scrutiny of the Crofting Reform (Scotland) Bill.

The purpose of the trip is to take evidence from local crofters and Shetland Islands Council, and will include  visits to crofts and  common grazings to "discover at first hand how crofting is faring in the area."

"Crofting is also a diverse activity, and we hope to get a flavour of that from our visits to the surrounding area and by hearing evidence directly from crofters," said committee convener Maureen Watt..

"The bill has arisen from the recognition that there are challenges to the crofting way of life that need to be addressed - issues such as the under-use of croft land, concerns over the effectiveness of the Crofters Commission, and the lack of availability of crofts to younger people. Everyone agrees there is a need for change if crofting communities are to have a thriving future. The question is whether the current bill does this in the best way or whether there are other approaches that would work better."