Chamber and committees

The management and maintenance of school estates, including playground equipment, is a statutory responsibility of local authorities. Scottish Government officials remain in close contact with the Highland Council regarding its programme of playground equipment inspections.

The Council has advised that inspections are progressing and are expected to be completed by September. Where inspections have been completed, equipment has either remained in use, been reopened following assessment or, where issues have been identified, appropriate remedial actions have been put in place. Equipment presenting a potential safety concern remain unavailable when awaiting repair, replacement or further assessment.

The Council has confirmed that it recognises the importance of outdoor play and physical activity and has advised that, while some equipment has been temporarily unavailable, schools have continued to provide access to playground areas, outdoor learning opportunities, physical education and other play activities to help minimise any impact on children's wellbeing and physical activity.

Nonetheless, I will raise your concerns with Highland Council when we next meet.

The Scottish Ministers made commencement regulations that brought section 12 into force on 16 March 2026.

The effect of section 12 coming into force is to place a duty on Scottish Ministers to publish a model lease for hutting within three years from the date of Royal Assent, that is by 16 December 2028.

Work is underway to ensure that the model will be published in good time, including through engagement with organisations who have developed model lease clauses for hutting in their region.

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.

The Scottish Government is not currently considering introduction of a public interest test for individuals, companies or other entities seeking to acquire large tracts of land.

A range of proposals for tests on buyers of land were considered during development of the measures now contained in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025. The Scottish Government concluded that these approaches could not be justified by available evidence and would present significant practical, legal and financial challenges.

In contrast – lotting of land for sale directly responds to the issues of concentration of ownership highlighted by the Scottish Land Commission. The measures approved by Parliament as part of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 will enable Scottish Ministers to consider the public interest in relation to certain transfers of landholdings over 1,000 hectares and, where appropriate, require land to be sold in lots.

Further detail on the Scottish Government's previous consideration of buyer-facing tests, and the reasons for not taking that approach forward, is set out at page 10 to 11 of the Scottish Government's response to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee's Stage 1 report. Consideration was also set out in the Policy Memorandum and during Parliamentary consideration of the Bill, and the relevant documents can be accessed on the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill page of the Scottish Parliament website.

The consistent approach to restricting the use of lead in ammunition that the UK REACH restriction will provide, and in particular the ban on sales of lead ammunition shotgun cartridges it introduces, will lead to improved compliance rates over wet lands compared with the status quo.

The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering the actions set out in the Wild Salmon Strategy: Implementation Plan 2023-2028. Good progress has been made across a range of priority areas, including improving our understanding of marine survival through salmon tracking projects, implementing SEPA's Sea Lice Regulatory Framework, publishing advice from the Science and Evidence Board, improving river connectivity through action to remove or ease barriers to fish migration and progress on salmon penalties via the new Natural Environment (Scotland) Act.

Delivery of the Plan continues to be monitored by the Wild Salmon Strategy Delivery Group. While delivery of a long-term programme will be influenced by emerging evidence and changing circumstances, the Scottish Government and partners under the Strategy remain focused on achieving the outcomes set out in the Plan by 2028.

The 2025 Annual Progress Report is currently being finalised and will be published after the summer recess.

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.

Information relating to overseas ownership of property in Scotland is available through Registers of Scotland, including its Country of Origin report. Information on overseas entities that own or transact in land and property in Scotland is also available through the UK Government's Register of Overseas Entities, maintained by Companies House.

The review of Community Right to Buy concluded at the end of 2025 and the previous Cabinet Secretary accepted those recommendations in full.

The Government is currently exploring legislative options to take forward the recommendations in light of manifesto commitments. Where legislation isn’t required, work is already underway with stakeholders to maximise progress in the meantime.