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Mu Phàrlamaid na h-Alba

Guidance on Public Bills

The rules that govern the Parliament’s scrutiny of Public Bills are set out in Chapter 9 of the Parliament’s Standing Orders. This Guidance aims to explain those rules and how they are applied in practice. 

Guidance on Public Bills: Session 6 Edition (Version 2, March 2023) (2MB, pdf) posted 03 April 2023

Part 1: Public Bills and background to the legislative process

  • Introduction
  • The Scottish Parliament's "legislative competence"
  • The Scotland Act 1998 and Standing Orders
  • Structure and style of Bills

Part 2: Stages of Bills – the general rules

  • Government Bills – preparation for introduction 
  • Accompanying documents and other documents 
  • Introduction of the Bill 
  • Financial Resolutions 
  • Stage 1
  • Stage 2 
  • After Stage 2
  • Stage 3
  • Reconsideration Stage 
  • From Bill to Act 
  • Withdrawal of Bills

Part 3: Stages of Bills – special cases

  • Members’ Bills
  • Committee Bills
  • Budget Bills
  • Scottish Law Commission Bills
  • Consolidation Bills
  • Codification Bills
  • Statute Law Repeals and Statute Law Revision Bills
  • Emergency Bills

Part 4: Amendments

  • Basic principles
  • Admissibility of amendments
  • Lodging amendments
  • Rules on marshalling amendments
  • Daily lists of amendments
  • Marshalled Lists
  • Grouping of amendments
  • Selection of amendments
  • Proceedings on amendments – all Stages
  • Proceedings at Stage 2
  • Proceedings at Stage 3

Annexes