Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 04 March 2026 [Draft]
04 Mar 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Portfolio Question Time
“Who Owns Scotland 2025”
I welcome the report’s contribution to the land reform debate. It highlights that land ownership in Scotland is still deeply unequal. That issue is hundreds of years in the making, and addressing it will not be quick or easy.
The recent Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 is a huge step forward. Once implemented, ministers will have lotting powers to split up large landholdings when they are being sold, provided that it is in the public interest to do so. The 2025 act will also ensure that communities can receive advance notification of impending sales or transfers of land by large landholders.
In the same item of business
3. Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Ind)
Ind
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report, “Who Owns Scotland 2025”. (S6O-05581)
The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands (Mairi Gougeon)
SNP
I welcome the report’s contribution to the land reform debate. It highlights that land ownership in Scotland is still deeply unequal. That issue is hundreds ...
Foysol Choudhury
Ind
In 2024, half of Scotland’s privately owned rural land was in the hands of 421 entities. That is now down to 408 individuals or companies. Does the Scottish ...
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
I agree with Foysol Choudhury in the sense that the pattern that we have seen is going in completely the wrong direction; it is not the direction that we wan...
Colin Beattie (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP)
SNP
Will the cabinet secretary outline a summary of the ways in which the concentrated patterns of land ownership in Scotland are being tackled, and community ow...
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
We know that the concentration of land ownership in Scotland is a massive issue. Through some of the landmark powers that we already have, we are seeing step...
Mercedes Villalba (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
The “Who Owns Scotland 2025” report shows that only 2.8 per cent of rural land in Scotland is owned by community groups. The Scottish Government can do far m...
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
Mercedes Villalba raises an important point. She is absolutely right that there is more that we can do. A number of powers are available to communities to ta...