SPICe Hub: the Session 7 Parliament 

Following the general election to the Scottish Parliament on 7 May 2026, the Parliament is due to meet for the first time on Thursday 14^th May as detailed in the Business Bulletin on Tuesday 24 March 2026.  

As the Session 7 Parliament gets underway, SPICe will publish a series of blogs to explain what will happen in the first few meetings of the Parliament. This mini blogpost provides a central hub for this work to assist Members and others.  

The explainers will cover: 

• how MSPs are sworn in 

• how the Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officers are elected, and  

• how the Parliament nominates a candidate for First Minister. 

SPICe will also publish explainers which cover: 

• what the Parliamentary Bureau is and who sits on it 

• how committees are formed 

• the role of committee conveners, deputy conveners and the rules for their selection. 

It may be helpful to note that a number of Standing Order rule changes were agreed late in Session 6 relating to the Parliamentary Bureau, the formation of committees and the election of committee conveners. The blogs explain the relevant rule changes. 

Information can also be in the Guidance on Chamber Business.  

Blogs which look at how the Scottish Government is formed and how parties can work together to form a government will also be available. 

An indicative publication schedule is provided below. The table will be updated with a link to each explainer blog once they are published.