Parliament Workbench
Data: Motions & questions to 19 Nov 2026 · Votes to 12 Nov 2026

Motion For Debate · S6M-04799 · Session 6

Scotland’s National Parks

Lodged by Lorna Slater Green Lodged 6 Jun 2022 Debate 7 Jun 2022 7 supporters

The motion

That the Parliament recognises the key role that national parks are playing in tackling the twin biodiversity and climate crises, and the important cultural, social and economic benefits that they bring to Scotland; welcomes the announcement by the Scottish Government that at least one new national park will be designated during the current parliamentary session; understands the need for an open and transparent evaluation process to identify the areas to be progressed to national park designation, and welcomes the start of stakeholder engagement to set the criteria for identifying the areas to be designated as new national parks.

What MSPs voted on: the motion as amended

The Greens’ motion was rewritten by a Labour amendment (S6M-04799.2) before this vote. A vote ‘for’ was a vote for Labour’s wording.

That the Parliament recognises the key role that national parks are playing in tackling the twin biodiversity and climate crises, and the important cultural, social and economic benefits that they bring to Scotland; welcomes the announcement by the Scottish Government that at least one new national park will be designated during the current parliamentary session; understands the need for an open and transparent evaluation process to identify the areas to be progressed to national park designation, and welcomes the start of stakeholder engagement to set the criteria for identifying the areas to be designated as new national parks.S6M-04799.2 Labour ; notes that there are over 3,500 national parks across the world; regrets that there have been just two national parks created in Scotland, the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, in 2002, and the Cairngorms National Park, in 2003, since the Parliament passed the National Parks (Scotland) Act in 2000; praises the work of the Scottish Campaign for National Parks, which identified at least seven further potential sites in 2013, as well as community groups in Galloway and the Borders, and elsewhere, which continue to demonstrate clear demand for new national parks; recognises that, in addition to the designation of new national parks, it is vital that the national scenic areas and regional parks are reinvigorated to help tackle the climate, nature and biodiversity emergencies, and believes that the Scottish Government must pave the way for the opening of a number of new national parks across Scotland.

Final wording as read into the Official Report at Decision Time. The marked changes are worked out by this site from the amendment texts and match that wording.

Amendments

  1. S6M-04799.1 Conservative Brian Whittle Defeated vote, 50–66
  2. S6M-04799.2 Labour Colin Smyth Agreed without a vote, per the Official Report

Signatures by party

7 MSPs besides the lodger · 7 from other parties
SNP 7

Party on the day each MSP signed. Signing a motion is voluntary and not whipped. Who signs whose motions

Vote

No recorded vote on this motion. Most motions are never debated, and many that are debated are agreed without a division. Vote records are published from 2011.

Amendments

2
  1. S6M-04799.1
    Scotland’s National Parks
    Brian Whittle Con Lodged 6 Jun 2022
    Defeated
    50 for, 66 against
  2. S6M-04799.2
    Scotland’s National Parks
    Colin Smyth Lab Lodged 6 Jun 2022
    No recorded vote

Supporters

7 MSPs

SNP 7

Show all 7 supporters by party

SNP 7

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

In the Official Report

4 contributions mention S6M-04799
  1. 7 Jun 2022
    National Parks
    Annabelle Ewing SNP Meeting of the Parliament

    The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-04799, in the name of Lorna Slater, on Scotland’s national parks. I invite those members who wish to speak to press their request-to-speak buttons, and I call Lorna Slater to speak to and…

  2. 7 Jun 2022
    Decision Time
    Alison Johnstone Meeting of the Parliament

    There are four questions to be put as a result of today’s business. The first question is, that amendment S6M-04799.1, in the name of Brian Whittle, which seeks to amend motion S6M-04799, in the name of Lorna Slater, on Scotland’s national…

  3. 7 Jun 2022
    Decision Time
    Alison Johnstone Meeting of the Parliament

    The next question is, that amendment S6M-04799.2, in the name of Colin Smyth, which seeks to amend motion S6M-04799, in the name of Lorna Slater, on Scotland’s national parks, be agreed to. Amendment agreed to.

  4. 7 Jun 2022
    Decision Time
    Alison Johnstone Meeting of the Parliament

    The next question is, that motion S6M-04799, in the name of Lorna Slater, on Scotland’s national parks, as amended, be agreed to. Motion, as amended, agreed to, That the Parliament recognises the key role that national parks are playing in…