Mu Phàrlamaid na h-Alba

The Standing Orders are the rules of procedure for the Parliament.

They have been made in accordance with the Scotland Act 1998.

Standing Orders of the Scottish Parliament 6th Edition 9th Revision 22 December 2023

Rule 16.1 Minutes of proceedings

1. Minutes of the proceedings at each meeting of the Parliament shall be drawn up by the Clerk.

2. The minutes shall record all the items of business taken by the Parliament at that meeting and the results of any decisions taken and of any divisions and elections which took place.

3. The Clerk shall arrange for the minutes of proceedings to be published as soon as possible by whatever means is considered appropriate.

Rule 16.2 Scottish Parliament Official Report

1. The Parliamentary corporation shall ensure that a substantially verbatim report of the proceedings at each meeting of the Parliament is prepared. It shall be known as the Scottish Parliament Official Report and in these Rules is referred to as the Official Report.

2. [deleted].

3. The Clerk shall ensure that the Official Report is published.

Rule 16.3 Journal of the Scottish Parliament

1. The Parliamentary corporation shall ensure that a Journal of the Scottish Parliament (referred to as “the Journal”) is published at such intervals as the Parliament may, on a motion of the Parliamentary Bureau, determine.

2. The Journal shall contain—

(a) minutes of proceedings of the Parliament;

(aa) notice of each Bill introduced, which notice shall give the short and long titles of the Bill, the name of the member introducing it and the names of any supporters, the date of introduction and the type of Bill;

(ab) notice of any legislative consent memorandum lodged in accordance with Rule 9B.3, which notice shall give the name of the member lodging the memorandum, the short title of the UK Parliament Bill to which the memorandum refers and the date on which the memorandum was lodged;

(ac) notice of any Public Bodies Act consent memorandum lodged in accordance with Rule 9BA.3, which notice shall give the name of the member lodging the memorandum, the title of the Public Bodies Act order to which the memorandum refers and the date on which the memorandum was lodged;

(b) notice of any instrument or draft instrument or any other document laid before the Parliament in accordance with Chapter 10, which notice shall give the title of the instrument, draft instrument or other document and the date on which it was laid before the Parliament;

(c) notice of any report of a committee to the Parliament (or to other committees, if published separately), which notice shall give the title of the report and the date on which it was published; and

(d) any other matter which the Parliament, on a motion of the Parliamentary Bureau, considers should be included in the Journal.

Rule 16.4 Broadcast of proceedings

1. The Parliamentary corporation shall arrange for proceedings at meetings of the Parliament to be broadcast in such manner and subject to such conditions as the Parliament may determine in a Code of Conduct relating to broadcasting of proceedings of the Parliament.

2. Until such a Code of Conduct has been made by the Parliament, the Parliamentary corporation may make such arrangements for the broadcast of proceedings at meetings of the Parliament as it sees fit.

Rule 16.5 Committee proceedings

1. Subject to paragraph 2, Rules 16.1, 16.2 and 16.4 shall apply to proceedings at meetings of committees and sub-committees as they apply to proceedings at meetings of the Parliament with such modifications as are appropriate.

2. Unless the Parliament decides otherwise, no substantially verbatim report of any proceedings at a meeting of a committee or sub-committee held in private shall be prepared. No such proceedings shall be broadcast.

Rule 16.6 Proceedings of the Scottish Commission for Public Audit

1. The Parliamentary corporation shall ensure that a substantially verbatim report of the proceedings at each meeting of the Scottish Commission for Public Audit (“the Commission”) held in public is prepared. The Clerk shall ensure that that report is published.

2. The Clerk shall ensure that any minutes of its meetings prepared by the Commission are published.

3. Rule 16.4 shall apply to proceedings at meetings of the Commission as it applies to proceedings at meetings of the Parliament with such modifications as are appropriate.