Chamber and committees

All the information submitted as part of the appeal, including everything submitted by the appellant, the national park authority and timeous representations submitted by interested parties is forwarded to Scottish Ministers along with the Reporter's report and recommendations.

Once received, the report and all the information held will be given full and proper consideration by Ministers before any decision is made.

As this is a live planning appeal it would not be appropriate to comment further.

Scottish Ministers are committed to a fair, open and transparent process for all aspects of its planning appeal casework. There is no statutory requirement for the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) to publish any information relating to a case. DPEA does however publish the information a reporter will take into account in their consideration of a case, including everything submitted by the appellant, the National Park Authority and numerous representations received from the local and wider community.

Due to the off-market and confidentiality arrangements imposed by the seller Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) were unable to consult with stakeholders prior to purchase. Full consultation with stakeholders, including the local community, has now be undertaken as FLS has developed its proposals for Glen Prosen through the Land Management Plan (LMP) process.

The Scottish Ministerial Code is clear on the need for Ministers to make a distinction between their roles as Ministers and their roles as Members of the Scottish Parliament. Chapter 9 of the Code sets out the requirements of Ministers in relation to the presentation of policy and Chapter 4 offers guidance on the appropriate separation of Ministers' official duties and their party political interests.

The framework document agreed between Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and Scottish Ministers details how FLS will carry out Scottish Ministers’ functions under the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018.

It details the key roles and responsibilities of:

• Scottish Ministers; and
• the FLS Chief Executive (and Accountable Officer).

Those roles and responsibilities, include those relevant to the acquisition and disposal of land. The framework document is a key part of the accountability and governance framework and as a live document is reviewed by SG and Forestry and Land Scotland regularly.

The Scottish Ministerial Code ensures impartiality in ministerial planning decisions, including avoiding conflicts of interest and maintaining transparency. Ministers must separate their roles as decision-makers and elected representatives, and must recuse themselves from any case where their impartiality could reasonably be questioned. It is a legislative requirement that planning decisions be made in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

The strategic objectives of acquiring the additional land at Glen Prosen was to create a contiguous area of 10,000 ha of land in public ownership that could provide an opportunity for the development of an exemplar of integrated land management that furthers Scottish Government aims for people’s well-being, nature recovery at scale, and long-term climate resilience.

The Scottish Government is working closely with local authorities and enterprise agencies to explore opportunities for AI-related investment.

While certain aspects of economic zoning and investment policy may intersect with reserved matters, the planning, infrastructure, and economic development components are largely devolved responsibilities.

We remain committed to ensuring that Scotland is an attractive location for AI investment and data infrastructure, and will continue to work with partners to assess the feasibility and benefits of such zones.

While there are currently no dedicated programmes specifically for workers displaced by AI, the Scottish Government is taking steps to support individuals through broader digital and AI literacy initiatives.

Programmes such as Living with AI aim to help people understand and adapt to the changing technological landscape. In addition, we are working with Skills Development Scotland and other partners to address AI-related skills gaps and support workforce transition.

We also fund postgraduate programmes and industry placements through The Data Lab, helping to build a resilient and future-ready talent pipeline. Strengthening the AI skills base remains a key priority for Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government continues to monitor and consider a range of evidence in relation to the energy sector.

As part of this approach, we commissioned and published independent analysis on Scotland’s Energy System and Just Transition found here: Publication of the outputs from a programme of work to better understand our energy requirements as we transition to net zero - Energy system and Just Transition: independent analysis - gov.scot. This analysis considers the economic impact of Scotland’s oil and gas industry, including in terms of employment, during the transition to net zero. A partial final-report.pdf of the baseline data underpinning this analysis was published in April 2025.