Ariane Burgess

23 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its investigation into the pollution incident that took place at Loch Hourn in April 2025; including (a) whether the analysis of sediment samples has been completed, (b) if not, what is causing the delay, and (c) when it expects the final investigatio…

21 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether inheritance law contributes to any monopolisation of land ownership in Scotland.

21 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reform inheritance law in Scotland.

21 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the Scottish Land Commission's July 2026 report, Learning from international cadastral systems for transparency, tax, and valuation.

21 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve transparency regarding which (a) individuals, (b) organisations and (c) other entities receive public subsidies for (i) forestry, (ii) farming, (iii) nature restoration and (iv) other land use and the quality of the outputs generated by these subsidies.

21 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve transparency regarding who receives public subsidies for (a) forestry, (b) farming, (c) nature restoration and (d) other land use in the current parliamentary session.

21 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking towards introducing a cadastral system for recording and managing information about land ownership and what the timeline for this is.

21 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve transport infrastructure to ensure that outdoor spaces are accessible and affordable for (a) disabled people and (b) minority ethnic groups.

21 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to meet its duties under Part 11 of the Equality Act 2010 with regard to the accessibility and affordability of outdoor areas for (a) minority ethnic groups and (b) disabled people, and what assessment it has made of whether these duties are being fully met.

21 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its timescale is for fulfilling its duties under section 61 of the Crofting and Scottish Land Court Act 2026.

21 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its proposed timeframe is for the delivery of its commitment to implement bespoke housing standards for accommodation used by seasonal agricultural workers.

14 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what cross-directorate governance arrangements are in place to hold individual directorates accountable for delivering the aims of the first National Good Food Nation Plan, given its cross-cutting scope across health, climate, nature and food policy.

13 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to fulfil its duties under section 12 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025.

7 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01094 by Jim Fairlie on 3 July 2026, what stakeholders were involved in considering how to scale payments linked to the size of salmon farm escapes, and whether it will publish the evidence, submissions and correspondence of each.

3 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for monitoring and enforcing (a) the current ban on the use of lead shot over wetlands and (b) the ban on the use of lead shot in all habitats due to come into force in 2029, including whether it has considered the use of portable electronic devices to test intact shotg…

2 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether environmental impact assessments are required for large-scale data centre developments proposals to assess heat island effects on the surrounding environment, including on agricultural land and local ecosystems.

2 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential heat island effect associated with large-scale data centre developments, including any implications for human health, biodiversity and agricultural productivity in surrounding areas.

2 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that National Planning Framework 4 provides sufficient guidance to local authorities on the siting of large-scale data centres, including whether applicants are required to justify use of prime agricultural land, green belt land or wetland sites in their proposed de…

2 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any cumulative impact of proposed large-scale data centre developments on agricultural land, including the loss of prime quality farmland.

1 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the feasibility of imposing a 500-hectare land ownership cap for (a) individuals, (b) companies and (c) other corporate entities.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is not currently considering a 500 hectare cap on the amount of land that can be owned by individuals, companies or other corporate entities.Similar proposals were considered previously during the development and parliamentary scrutiny…

1 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review land reform legislation during the current parliamentary session.

1 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the scale of land ownership in Scotland by overseas (a) individuals and (b) state entities.

1 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing a public interest test for individuals, companies and other entities seeking to acquire large tracts of land.

1 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing compulsory sale order powers for sites that have been consistently left vacant and derelict in (a) cities, (b) towns and (c) rural areas.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The consultation carried out as part of the compulsory purchase reform programme included questions on Compulsory Sale Orders and responses are currently being analysed. The Scottish Government will publish a summary of responses to that consultation and asso…

1 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether existing legislation provides adequate welfare protections for decapod crustaceans, in light of their recognition as sentient animals.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: The statutory review of the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) Act 2020 undertaken by the Scottish Government in 2024, acknowledged that decapods currently have no general welfare protection under the 2006 Act; and that this is an area f…

1 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve the welfare of decapod crustaceans, in light of their recognition as sentient animals.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government is working with Defra and the Welsh Government on producing guidance on the welfare of decapods at the time of killing. We are also committed to undertaking a gap analysis in partnership with Defra to identify knowledge and evidence ga…

1 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recognition of decapod crustaceans as sentient animals, what research it has commissioned, reviewed or relied upon regarding the welfare needs of these animals.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government has considered and continues to consider a range of evidence around decapod welfare including the London School of Economics study on decapod and cephalopod sentience, and the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission Case Study on cephalopod…

1 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing statutory welfare standards for decapod crustaceans in sectors that currently operate under voluntary guidance.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government is currently working with the other devolved Governments to develop Guidance for the welfare at the time of killing of decapods. The Scottish Government will consider the case for developing statutory welfare standards as part of the w…

1 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effectiveness and uptake of voluntary industry codes relating to the welfare of decapod crustaceans.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government has not undertaken any such assessment.

1 Jul 2026 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to develop statutory codes of practice relating to the welfare of decapod crustaceans in (a) commercial fishery (b) aquaculture, (c) distribution or (d) retail settings.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government will consider the case for developing statutory codes as part of the wider work and commitment to undertake a gap analysis and wider evidence-based review to inform future measures to protect decapod welfare.