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
- 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