Parliamentary questions
Mercedes Villalba
523 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
27 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on (a) environmental, (b) air and (c) water quality of the shutdown of the waste incinerator in East Tullos.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is the regulator for municipal waste incineration. SEPA already publishes summary data on pollutant releases via the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI), site-specific monitoring data on its public reg…
27 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent communication it has had with (a) Aberdeen City Council, (b) Aberdeenshire Council, (c) Moray Council, (d) SEPA and (e) Energy From Waste (EfW) Ness regarding the shutdown of the waste incinerator in East Tullos.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Waste collection and recycling services are a matter for individual local authorities and which strategy they adopt is entirely up to them. Local authorities are independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities, separate from the Scotti…
27 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to (a) local authority, (b) co-operative and (c) worker ownership as part of its assessment of energy from waste incineration facilities in Scotland.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Waste collection and recycling services are a matter for individual local authorities and which strategy they adopt is entirely up to them. Local authorities are independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities, separate from the Scotti…
27 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to (a) environmental, (b) air and (c) water quality as part of its assessment of energy from waste incineration facilities in Scotland.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is the regulator for municipal waste incineration. SEPA already publishes summary data on pollutant releases via the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI), site-specific monitoring data on its public reg…
11 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update from the (a) Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and (b) Health and Safety Executive in Aberdeen regarding the fatality on the Valaris 121 jack-up rig on 14 November 2025.
Answer · Gillian Martin: This tragic incident is the subject of a live investigation and is not a matter that the Scottish Government can comment on.
11 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last discussed the safety of oil and gas workers in the central and northern North Sea with the UK Government.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government recognises the paramount importance of workplace health and safety in the offshore energy sector.Health and safety legislation is, however, a matter reserved to the UK Government, with the Health and Safety Executive as the regulator a…
11 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding staff pay for offshore regulators, when it last discussed the funding of the Health and Safety Executive with the UK Government.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Health and safety legislation is a matter reserved to the UK Government, with the Health and Safety Executive as the regulator across Great Britain. The Scottish Government has no functions in relation to the funding available to the Health and Safety Executi…
4 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether future support for Less Favoured Areas through Tier 2 of the new Agriculture Reform Framework will be based on contemporaneous or historic data.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: LFASS is an area-based payment under article 31 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 focuses on providing financial support to farmers operating in areas that face natural or other specific constraints.The eligibility is contained within The Less Favoured Area Sup…
4 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding reported comments by the Director of Agriculture and Rural Economy, what its response is to the comment that the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) could not be rebased due to staff number reductions.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42391 on 9 December 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-committe…
4 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of payments made under the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) in 2024 was based on historic data.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42391 on 9 December 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-committe…
2 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers or plans to provide to landowners of fewer than 200 hectares, including those who are community groups and private individuals, who wish to manage land for the restoration of natural processes.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Scottish Government provides a wide range of support for landowners of fewer than 200 hectares, including community groups and private individuals, who wish to manage land for nature restoration purposes. This includes advisory support from Government and pub…
2 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the contribution of natural processes, such as natural regeneration, natural river dynamics and trophic interactions, toward meeting statutory nature recovery targets.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is following a 4-step process to select statutory nature restoration targets. Target selection is based on the best scientific advice available, through recommendations provided by the Biodiversity Programme Advisory Group (PAG), which…
2 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to align the ecosystem metrics used in the Ecosystem Restoration Code with other policy frameworks and mechanisms, including through nature recovery targets and public funding mechanisms.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Scottish Government’s work on the Ecosystem Restoration Code (ERC) includes consideration of ecosystem metrics that:Measure change in ecosystem condition and biodiversity;Align with the metrics used for environmental policy frameworks, targets and publi…
2 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recommendations of the recently published report by the British Ecological Society, Aligning Environmental Agendas for Nature Recovery.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government strongly welcomes the British Ecological Society’s report and its emphasis on an ecosystems approach. This aligns with the focus in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and draft Environment Strategy on ecosystem health and integri…
11 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding Scotland’s fishing sector, how it plans to support sustainable (a) economic growth, (b) development and (c) fishing practices (i) in north east Scotland and (ii) across Scotland.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the fishing sector in Scotland.Our work to secure sustainable fishing opportunities for Scottish vessels through our international negotiations, which is informed by our science advice, is critical to support…
6 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that public investment is evenly distributed across (a) north east Scotland and (b) Scotland.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government plan to publish a new infrastructure delivery pipeline alongside the Scottish Spending Review in January which will set out our future investment plans underpinned by a 30-year needs assessment and a draft infrastructure strategy for c…
6 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics for 2024, what its response is to reported collapsing stocks of (a) Northern Shelf cod, (b) mackerel and (c) other North Sea fish.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) advice is challenging for a number of our key stocks this year across the Northeast Atlantic, not least the iconic stocks of cod and mackerel. There are many factors that may be contributing to t…
6 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics for 2024, what its response is to the reported decline in the number of (a) fishers and (b) fishing boats operating in the Scottish fishing sector.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The 2024 Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics show that the number of active Scottish fishing vessels was 1,998, a modest decrease of 8 vessels compared to 2023. The fleet remains dominated by vessels under 10 metres in length, which have increased by five per c…
6 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support sustainable (a) economic growth, (b) development and (c) fishing practices (i) in north east Scotland and (ii) across Scotland.
7 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, with regard to the concentration of land ownership, what action it is taking to (a) increase the number of new (i) crofts, (ii) land tenancies and (iii) agriculture tenancies and (b) improve food (i) security and (ii) system resilience.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W 41083 on 21 October 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-committe…
7 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, with regard to the concentration of land ownership, what action it is taking to increase community (a) ownership of (i) land and (ii) energy, and (b) wealth building.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W 41083 on 21 October 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-committe…
7 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, with regard to the concentration of land ownership, what action it is taking to improve (a) community engagement and (b) local democracy regarding land ownership decisions.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W 41083 on 21 October 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-committee…
7 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, with regard to concentration of land ownership, what action it is taking to (a) increase adherence to the terms of the Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement, (b) protect relevant human rights and (c) support animal welfare.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W 41083 on 21 October 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-committe…
7 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, with regard to the concentration of land ownership, what action it is taking to support (a) environmental, (b) biodiversity and (c) natural processes (i) protection and (ii) restoration.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W 41083 on 21 October 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-committe…
7 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, with regard to the concentration of land ownership, what action it is taking to (a) improve sustainable development and (b) increase levels of rural (i) employment, (ii) housing provision, and (iii) repopulation.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W 41083 on 21 October 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-committe…
7 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, with regard to the concentration of land ownership, what action it is taking to support a just transition to a net zero (a) energy system and (b) economy.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W 41083 on 21 October 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-committe…
7 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the diversification of land ownership.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government has taken a number of important steps to support its Land Reform objectives including supporting diversity of land ownership.The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill is currently being considered by Parliament and represents a significant step …
7 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the inclusion of a (a) public interest test assessment of potential buyers, (b) fit and proper person test of potential buyers, and (c) presumed limit against large-scale land ownership unless in the public interest, in the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: 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 Govern…
1 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of (a) the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, (b) the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016, (c) the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 and (d) concentrated land ownership on (i) local economic development, (ii) local sustainable development, (iii…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: 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 righ…
1 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the sale of charitable assets by the Clan Donald Lands Trust under section 33 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, and what its response is to the findings of the investigation by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: 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 relatin…