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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-41726

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2025

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.

Question reference: S6W-41724

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that public investment is evenly distributed across (a) north east Scotland and (b) Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-41727

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2025

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.

Question reference: S6W-41725

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 20 November 2025

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.

Question reference: S6W-41083

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the diversification of land ownership.

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 forward on Scotland’s Land Reform journey. The Bill will give communities more opportunities to use their Right to Buy and will stop sales of large landholdings from proceeding until Ministers can consider the impact on local communities. Ministers will be able to require land to be sold in lots, further supporting diversity of ownership. The Bill will also require landowners to engage with local communities, giving them more of a say in how land is used and managed, and will also improve the rights of tenant farmers.

The proposals in the Bill build upon the success of earlier legislation such as the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016. This helped establish the Scottish Land Commission which provides evidence-based advice to inform land policy in Scotland and also works to support good practice in land ownership, management and use, and also the functions of the Tenant Farming Commissioner.

As Summary of Research and Recommendations has shown, 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. That is why we are taking ambitious action to tackle it through the Bill and other work. These steps support the many sector-specific policies that apply to all land, irrespective of ownership.

Scotland has a proud history of land reform since devolution. 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.

Question reference: S6W-41090

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 October 2025

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.

Question reference: S6W-41082

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 October 2025

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.

Question reference: S6W-41084

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 October 2025

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.

Question reference: S6W-41089

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 October 2025

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.

Question reference: S6W-41085

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 October 2025

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.