Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S7W-01576

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the plan is for the implementation of the National Register of Ancient Woodland.

Question reference: S7W-01579

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what budget will be allocated to maintain the National Register of Ancient Woodland for the next and future financial years.

Question reference: S7W-01452

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is currently taking to protect wild Atlantic salmon after they leave freshwater and enter Scotland’s marine area, and what further measures it plans to introduce.

The Scottish Government is taking a range of actions to support the protection of wild Atlantic salmon during their migration through Scotland's marine environment. The Scottish Wild Salmon Strategy and associated Implementation Plan provide the framework for this work and include a dedicated priority theme focused on improving understanding of, and addressing, pressures affecting salmon in coastal and marine waters.

The Scottish Government has supported research to improve understanding of salmon migration and marine survival, including a number of smolt tracking projects (West Coast, North Coast, Moray Firth/Wick and South-east Coast) which is helping to address evidence gaps relating to migration routes, behaviour and mortality during the marine phase of the salmon life cycle.

We have also strengthened the regulatory framework governing interactions between aquaculture and wild salmon through the designation of SEPA as the lead regulator for sea-lice interactions and the introduction of SEPA's Sea Lice Regulatory Framework, including Wild Salmon Protection Zones. In addition, Scotland's planning framework includes a presumption against new marine finfish farming development on the north and east coasts of mainland Scotland.

Scotland's National Marine Plan includes specific policies for wild salmon and other diadromous fish, requiring the potential effects of marine development and activities on these species to be considered in planning and licensing decisions.

Atlantic salmon is a qualifying feature of 17 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in Scotland. These sites were designated because they support salmon populations and habitats of European conservation importance and encompass many of the species' most significant freshwater habitats in Scotland.

Under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994, any plan or project—including those in the marine environment—that is likely to have a significant effect on an SAC must be subject to an appropriate assessment. Consent can be granted where it can be ascertained that the proposal will not adversely affect the integrity of the site. Where such certainty cannot be reached, permission may only be given in the limited exceptional circumstances provided for within the legislation.

The Scottish Government will continue to implement the Wild Salmon Strategy and keep the need for further measures under review as new evidence emerges, particularly in relation to increasing marine mortality, which is widely recognised as a significant factor in the decline of Atlantic salmon populations across Scotland and the wider North Atlantic with the available evidence showing that this is, at least partly, driven by changes in oceanic conditions associated with climate change.

Question reference: S7W-01577

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to consult on the delivery of the National Register of Ancient Woodland.

Question reference: S7W-01575

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its vision is for the National Register of Ancient Woodland.

The Register of Ancient Woodlands will present location data, condition assessments and restoration requirements for all recognised ancient woodlands in Scotland. The Register will help decision-makers prevent further loss or reduction in the extent of ancient woodlands through development or inappropriate management, and it will support efforts to bring all ancient woodlands into acceptable condition.

Question reference: S7W-01574

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government when the National Register of Ancient Woodland will be published.

Question reference: S7W-01492

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review land reform legislation during the current parliamentary session.

The Scottish Government's priority during the current parliamentary session is implementation of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025.

The Review of Community Right to Buy powers concluded at the end of last session and was published on 18 March 2026: Review of Community Right to Buy - gov.scot. We will take forward the findings of the review this session, subject to further consultation.

The Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement, prepared under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016, is due to be reviewed by September 2027 in accordance with the requirements of that Act.

In addition, section 10 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 requires the Scottish Land Commission to review and report on the operation and effectiveness of key measures introduced by the Act. While the first of these reviews will not take place during the current parliamentary session, the Scottish Government is working closely with the Scottish Land Commission and other partners to ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place to support future monitoring and review.

Question reference: S7W-01822

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what the timescale is for its planned review of the factoring system.

Question reference: S7W-01555

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what enforcement action has been taken by the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park since the change of bye-laws relating to the use of jet skis.

Question reference: S7W-01491

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the scale of land ownership in Scotland by overseas (a) individuals and (b) state entities.