Current status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the sale of charitable assets by the Clan Donald Lands Trust under section 33 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, and what its response is to the findings of the investigation by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) into the sale, which concluded that the trustees made decisions within the powers set out in the charity’s governing document and had acted in accordance with their legal duties as charity trustees, with no further action by OSCR being required.
The Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) was established 20 years ago as an independent regulator and registrar of charities, ensuring that charity regulation remains free from political influence.
Decisions and inquiries undertaken by OSCR, such as those relating to the Clan Donald Lands Trust and the sale of its landholdings, fall entirely within its remit and are not matters for the Scottish Government.
Given the independence of both OSCR and the charities it regulates, it would be inappropriate for Scottish Ministers to comment on individual cases.