Scottish Parliament Election: 7 May 2026, guidance for the Scottish Government, its agencies and National Devolved Public Bodies

Chapter 5: Scottish Parliament

Committees

5.1 Each mandatory and most subject committees are established for the whole session of the Parliament. All committees cease to exist at the dissolution of Parliament. The memberships and any outstanding work of the Parliament’s committees also ceases at this point.

5.3 After dissolution, the point of contact for Scottish Government Directorates continues to be the Committee Clerk, who remains in post until new committees are formed.

5.4 No Government responses to committee reports will be published during the pre-election recess. Directorates should continue to work, on a contingency basis, on any outstanding evidence required by committees and on any outstanding Government responses to committee reports.

5.5 It is for Committees of the new Parliament to decide whether to continue with the previous Committees' inquiries and for the incoming administration to determine the Government's response.

Parliamentary Questions

5.5 Parliamentary Questions will stop during the pre-election period so no new questions will be received by policy teams.

5.6 The Scottish Government has given its commitment to answer all questions before the campaign period if at all possible. However, there may be questions (for example, ones requiring a lot of research) where this is not possible.

5.7 The Scottish Government has indicated that in those cases answers will be sent in letters to the Member who asked them and copies of the letters placed in SPICe. Any such answers will be published on the Parliament’s website and included in a Written Answers Report after the Parliament resumes.

Legislation and Other Parliamentary Activity

5.8 Any Bills that are not passed before the Parliament is dissolved fall. Any proposals for members’ bills that have not been introduced also fall. Bills that have been passed by the Parliament before dissolution can still be submitted for Royal Assent and become Acts of the Scottish Parliament.

5.9 Any Scottish Statutory Instruments (SSIs) that have been laid in Parliament and have not completed their scrutiny will remain live, the ‘clock stopping’ with regard to counting days until after the Scottish Parliament election. Scotland Act Orders with dual parliament procedure are impacted in the same way.

5.10 It is for the incoming administration to determine its position and lodge Legislative Consent Memorandums (LCMs) on relevant UK Bills where the previous Parliament has not given a view on consent.

5.11 The pre-election period does not count as part of the 28 days provided for the Scottish Parliament’s consideration of UKSI notifications. It is anticipated that Parliament’s last sitting day will be 25 March, so Parliament will not be available to consider notifications beyond that point.

5.12 All motions fall on dissolution, this includes any motions of legislative consent, but petitions that the Parliament has not finished considering do not fall in the same way as bills or motions. However, as parliamentary business is suspended during dissolution, petitions will be considered again when the new session begins and new committees are formed. Petitions cannot be lodged or published during dissolution but proposed petitions can still be submitted and the clerks are able to provide advice on the petitions process in this window.

5.13 Please engage directly with the Scottish Government’s Parliament and Legislation Unit if you have any questions about the handling of legislation over the election period.

Further Information

5.14 For further information, please contact the Parliament and Legislation Unit at PLUBillProgramme@gov.scot.