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 10th Revision 2 July 2024
1. Where, under an enactment or otherwise, a report or other document is required or authorised to be laid before the Scottish Parliament, the lodging of a copy of that report or document with the Clerk shall be treated for all purposes as being the laying of it before the Parliament.
2. The Clerk may require the person laying the report or document to provide such additional copies as the Clerk considers necessary.
3. A report or other document may be laid before the Parliament at any time when the office of the Clerk is open.
4. No report or other document shall be laid before the Parliament unless it is required or authorised to be laid under an enactment or otherwise or it is laid by a member of the Scottish Government.
5. The Clerk shall ensure that notice of any report or other document laid before the Parliament is published in the Business Bulletin. The notice shall give the title of the report or document.
1. Where, under these Rules, the Clerk is required to publish any document, the Clerk shall arrange for publication through the Parliamentary corporation.
2. If the Parliament so decides, the Clerk shall publish any report or other document laid before the Parliament.
3. In these Rules, “document” means anything in which information is recorded in any form.
1. Any statement which is required or authorised to be published in pursuance of these Rules is published under the authority of the Parliament.
2. In these Rules, “statement” has the same meaning as in the Defamation Act 1996 (c.31).