Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01413 on 23 July 2026. 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 Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring that the property factor regime operates effectively for homeowners and consumers. In this parliamentary session, we are undertaking work to improve delivery of services by factoring organisations, starting with improving our understanding of the issues that have been raised and considering what action may be required.

The Scottish Government continues to monitor the impact of the Vision hosted system rollout through Public Service Delivery Scotland (PSDS)’engagement with health boards, GP practices and the supplier OneAdvanced.

The GPIT procurement was undertaken through a formal, competitive procurement process led by National Services Scotland (now Public Services Delivery Scotland), in line with European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) requirements.

Optum/EMIS has advised that EMIS PCS will be end-of-life and no longer available for use after June 2027. As a result, practices currently using EMIS PCS are required to migrate to an alternative GP clinical system before that date.

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.