Chamber and committees

Scottish Government consideration to these issues is set out at paragraph 279 of the Scottish Government response to the NZET Committee Stage 2 Report on the Bill. This report has been published on the Scottish Parliament website for the Bill: Scottish Government response to LRB Stage 1 report.

The Scottish Government is proud of the positive impacts of these three pieces of legislation.

The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 introduced the community right to buy and the crofting right to buy. There have been over 275 applications under the various rights (including those introduced in 2015 and 2018). It also created a legal framework for the right to responsible access for land.

The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016 built upon this success by establishing the Scottish Land Commission, ensuring we now have a permanent public body providing independent research and analysis and supporting Land Reform objectives. It also put the Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement on a statutory footing, supported transparency of land ownership through the creation of the Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land and promoted community engagement.

The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 created new rights for community bodies and placed new duties on public authorities contributing to significant progress in supporting the empowerment of communities across Scotland. The Act has also encouraged greater numbers of public service providers to engage with their communities on a range of matters to help improve local service delivery. In relation to Asset Transfer in the Act, it is the first of its kind in the UK and around 500 asset transfer requests have been made since 2017. Community organisations have taken ownership or lease of forests, parks, woodlands, sports and recreational facilities and community hubs.

The Scottish Government has undertaken a variety of work related to this legislation. The Scottish Government regularly commissions research including ongoing work through the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) Strategic Research Programme:

• Scotland’s Land Reform Futures | SEFARI
• Land Reform Land Reform in Scotland Insights

The Scottish Government has commissioned research on the impact of diversity of land ownership:

• Attitudes to land reform: research - gov.scot
• The impact of diversity of ownership scale on social, economic and environmental outcomes: Exploration and case studies - March 2016

Each of the three pieces of legislation in the question cover numerous different policy issues. Different parts have been reviewed through different work programmes over time, across various research projects, reports, and evidence reviews, in particular:

(a) The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 contains four policy parts, introducing legal powers aimed at improving public access and enabling community land ownership.

As part of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, specifically part 1, there was a review of the whole Act by the Land Reform Review Group published in 2014 - The land of Scotland and the common good: report - gov.scot.

In 2012 - Overview of Evidence on Land Reform in Scotland - gov.scot provided an overview of the evidence available on the implementation and progress of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.

The Scottish Government is also currently undertaking a review of Community Right to Buy due to complete by the end of 2025.

(b) The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 Act has 11 policy parts. On 31 March 2025, the Scottish Government published the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015: update and findings report which provides in-depth reviews of Part 3: Participation Requests and Part 5: Asset Transfer, an assessment of the implementation of Part 2: Community Planning and an update on all the other parts of the Act.

(c) The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016 contains 12 policy parts, introducing different legal powers and responsibilities.

The Scottish Land Commission provides evidence-based advice to inform land policy in Scotland. They provide independent oversight and strategic advice on matters relating to land in Scotland, and the Land Commissioners’ functions includes reviewing the impact and effectiveness of laws and policies and recommending changes. More information about their work can be found on their website.

(d) In reference to concentrated land ownership, please see my response S6W-40547.

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.

The Policy Memorandum for the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill highlights concentrated land ownership and the associated lack of supply of land can lead to many important social, economic or environmental objectives being more difficult to achieve. The Memorandum highlights Scottish Land Commission research into concentrated landownership in Scotland which has helped inform a number of the ambitious proposals the Bill.

The Government is committed to driving forward land reform and increasing diversity of land ownership in a way that is fair, proportionate and within the terms of the current devolution settlement.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40457 on 30 September 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

The purchase of forest estates by Gresham House FF VI LLP was conducted via normal market mechanisms. The Scottish Government does not monitor land or forest sales in Scotland and does not carry out assessments around the impacts of individual land transactions. All forest land should, however, be managed according to the principles of sustainable forest management as laid out in the UK Forestry Standard regardless of the ownership. The UK Forestry Standard contains requirements and guidelines on environmental quality, managing and improving biodiversity and community engagement.

The Scottish Government expects all managers of afforested land, including Gresham House, to meet the requirements of sustainable forest management as outlined in the UK Forestry Standard. The UK Forestry Standard contains requirements and guidelines on environmental quality, managing and improving biodiversity and community engagement.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40549 on 24 September 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40546 on 24 September 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

As set out in the answer to S6W-39520, a full breakdown of the awards made through the Marine Fund Scotland (MFS) since it was first launched in 2021-22 to the most recent awards made in 2024-25 is available at: www.gov.scot/publications/marine-fund-scotland-grants-awarded/

The MFS funds a range of projects to help deliver Scotland’s Blue Economy Vision, transform the way the marine environment is used and how Scotland’s ‘blue’ resources are managed. Funding of £14 million has also been made available in 2025-26 and the MFS team are currently assessing applications that can contribute to an innovative and sustainable marine economy, support coastal communities, and help Scotland reach net zero emissions.

In addition, the MFS has provided various support to the fishing sector across Scotland, through £1.8m funding the Independent Fisheries Science Support Scheme which provides data to support stock assessments; £650k Support to Seafish to provide safety training and £50k to Fishing into the Future supporting the Clyde Fisheries Resource Education Programme, aiming to improve fisheries management & sustainability.

In 2024-25, Blueshell Mussels were awarded £640k towards the £1.28m cost of installing innovative rope that improves mussel growth & yield, this will increase production by around £800k & create 4 new jobs. In 2024-25, Tiny Fish a new company was awarded £118k towards the £237k cost of processing equipment for small salmon, taking what was viewed as a waste product from aquaculture & turning it into an added value product.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.