Seòmar agus comataidhean

That the Parliament, in exercise of the power conferred by section 41 of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 (“the 2016 Act”) makes The Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 (Modifications) Resolution 2026 and—

(a) resolves that with effect from the day after the first dissolution of the Parliament following the day on which this resolution is made the provisions which are contained in paragraphs 1 to 4 of this resolution shall come into force; and

(b) notes that in accordance with section 48(1) of the 2016 Act the Parliament has consulted the Scottish Ministers.

ANNEXE

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

THE LOBBYING (SCOTLAND) ACT 2026 (MODIFICATIONS) RESOLUTION 2026

Made

Coming into force in accordance with paragraph (a)

That the Parliament—

(a) in exercise of the power conferred by section 15 of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 (“the 2016 Act”) resolves that with effect from the day after the first dissolution of the Parliament following the day on which this Resolution is made the provisions which are contained in paragraphs 1 to 4 of this Resolution shall come into force; and

(b) notes that in accordance with section 48(1) of the 2016 Act the Parliament has consulted the Scottish Ministers.

Citation

1. This Resolution may be cited as the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 (Modifications) Resolution 2026.

Modification of section 5 of the 2016 Act

2.—(1) Section 5 (information about identity) is modified in accordance with this paragraph.

(2) In paragraph (a)—

(a) omit the “and” immediately following sub-paragraph (i),

(b) after sub-paragraph (ii) insert—

“(iii) the individual’s business email address (or, if there is no such email address, the individual's home email address), and

(iv) the individual’s main telephone number (if any),”.

(3) In paragraph (b)—

(a) omit the “and” immediately following sub-paragraph (iv),

(b) after sub-paragraph (v) omit “(each of those expressions having the same meaning as in that Act)”,

(c) after sub-paragraph (v) insert—

“(vi) its registered email address, and

(vii) the telephone number (if any) for its registered office,

(each of the expressions in sub-paragraphs (i) to (vi) having the same meaning as in that Act),”.

(4) In paragraph (c)—

(a) omit the “and” immediately following sub-paragraph (ii),

(b) after sub-paragraph (iii) insert—

“(iv) the email address of the partnership, which must be an email address to which, in the ordinary course of events, emails sent by the Clerk would be expected to come to the attention of a person acting on behalf of the registrant, and

(v) the telephone number (if any) for its main office or place of business, and”.

(5) In paragraph (d)—

(a) omit the “and” immediately following sub-paragraph (i),

(b) after sub-paragraph (ii), insert—

“(iii) the person’s business email address, which must be an email address to which, in the ordinary course of events, emails sent by the Clerk would be expected to come to the attention of a person acting on behalf of the registrant, and

(iv)  the telephone number (if any) for its main office or place of business.”.

Modification of section 7 of the 2016 Act

3.—(1) Section 7 (additional information) is modified in accordance with this paragraph.

(2) Omit the “and” immediately following paragraph (a)(iii),

(3) After paragraph (a) insert—

“(aa) any information submitted by the registrant about any individual given responsibility by the registrant for the discharge of the duties imposed on the registrant by or under this Act, and”.

Modification of section 11 of the 2016 Act

4. In section 11 (information returns), in subsection (5)(b), after “(7)(a)” insert “and (aa),”.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Resolution)

The Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 (“the Act”) sets out a registration regime for “regulated lobbying”, as defined in the Act. In doing so it makes provision for a lobbying register which is operated by the Clerk of the Scottish Parliament (“the Clerk”). Part 2 sets out the content of the register and the role and functions of the Clerk in operating it. This includes a requirement that the register contains specified information about each registrant’s identity (section 4). Section 5 sets out that information about identity. Section 7 sets out the additional information that the register must contain.

Paragraph 2 modifies Part 2 of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 by adding to section 5 that the information about the person’s identity must also include an email address and, if available, a telephone number. The type of email address varies depending on the type of person (e.g. individual, company, partnership or other person) but must be an email address to which, in the ordinary course of events, emails sent by the Clerk would be expected to come to the attention of a person acting on behalf of the registrant.

Paragraph 3 makes provision for further additional information that may be provided by the registrant for inclusion in the register. That further additional information is such information as may be provided by the registrant about any individual given responsibility by the registrant for ensuring compliance with the requirements of the Act.

Paragraph 4 makes a consequential amendment.

These amendments aim to enable the Clerk to improve communication with registrants, for example, to provide updates, notices and reminders that are important for registrant. They are intended to assist the Clerk in the discharge of the duties and functions imposed by or under the Act.

That the Parliament welcomes the decision by the High Court that the proscription of Palestine Action was unlawful; believes that, in light of this judgment, all remaining charges relating to supporting Palestine Action should be dropped by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and that any convictions secured in such cases should be quashed; further believes that the decision to proscribe Palestine Action was not made in good faith but was instead meant to deter public protest regarding the alleged genocide by Israel in Palestine, and calls on those involved in making that decision to consider their positions.

That the Parliament congratulates Stephanie Hellewell Baird, of Move Orkney, on winning two awards at the One Dance UK Awards, which took place on 7 February 2026 in Bradford; recognises that the One Dance UK Awards bring together dance practitioners, teachers and researchers who have had an impact on the UK’s dance scene; acknowledges that Stephanie won both the Dance Sector Spotlight Award and the Green Dance Award; understands that Stephanie has played a huge part in increasing the number of dancers and dance companies that have included Orkney as a stop on their tour of the Highlands and Islands by reaching out to various performers and making connections with them; further understands that Stephanie has encouraged and supported touring artists to adopt slow touring methods where appropriate, such as using public transport and avoiding air travel, and thanks Stephanie for all the work she had done to provide audiences in Orkney with a variety of dance performances by promoting Orkney to touring artists.

That the Parliament welcomes the news that nurseries in Aberdeen are taking on the Four-Books-A-Day Challenge; notes that over 130 children across Aberdeen nurseries are joining the "Get the Reading Buzz" pledge, which has been launched by Busy Bees and, over 2026, aims to read over 45 million books with children; understands that the scheme plans to reclaim story-time as a joyful experience that fosters a love of reading in children from the very beginning and to increase the number of children who are reading in their free time, as well as the number of parents reading with their child on a daily basis; congratulates all those taking part in this initiative, and hopes that it is a huge success.

That the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee recommends that the Marine Licensing (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Order 2026 [draft] be approved.

That the Parliament congratulates staff at TauRx Therapeutics Management Ltd for donating £2,500 to the volunteer-led group, Aberdeen Sands; notes that Sands offers UK-wide support for everyone touched by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby before, during or soon after birth; understands that staff at TauRx, which is developing a potential disease-modifying oral treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, raised over £1,500 through a variety of events, including quizzes, fantasy sports competitions and donations at social events, with the company rounding the total up to £2,500; believes that staff at TauRx should be rightly proud of their fundraising efforts, and hopes that the donation is put to excellent use by Aberdeen Sands in supporting its vital work.

That the Parliament agrees that the Budget (Scotland) (No. 5) Bill be passed.

That the Parliament agrees that the Scottish Parliament (Recall and Removal of Members) Bill be passed.

That the Parliament notes the publication by the Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) of The Scottish Crime Report 2025/26; further notes that 54.8% of convenience retailers who responded to SGF's crime survey reported that shoplifting has increased over the past year, with 99.6% stating that it is a daily occurrence; acknowledges that 99.4% of respondents reported experiencing weekly incidents of abuse when refusing a sale or requesting proof of age, and notes calls for greater action to tackle retail crime across Scotland, including in the Mid Scotland and Fife region.

That the Finance and Public Administration Committee recommends that the Scottish Landfill Tax (Standard Rate and Lower Rate) Order 2026 (SSI 2026/97) be approved.