This short blog explains what the Parliamentary Bureau is and who sits on the Bureau.
What is the Parliamentary Bureau?
The Parliamentary Bureau (often referred to as the ‘Bureau’) is responsible for proposing the Parliament’s business programme each week.
In previous Sessions, the Bureau has tended to meet every Tuesday when Parliament is sitting to discuss and agree what the weekly business programme should be for the chamber (i.e., meetings of the full Parliament).
The Bureau is also responsible for proposing the establishment of committees, and their respective remits and memberships.
Chapter 5 of the Standing Orders provide for the establishment of the Parliamentary Bureau and its functions.
The main functions of the Parliamentary Bureau shall be—
(a) to propose the business programme as mentioned in Rule 5.4;
(b) to propose alterations to the daily business list;
(c) to propose the establishment, remit, membership and duration of any committee or sub-committee; and
(d) to determine any question regarding the competence of a committee to deal with a matter and, if 2 or more committees are competent to deal with a matter, to determine which of those committees is to be the lead committee responsible for that matter.
Who sits on the Parliamentary Bureau?
The Bureau is chaired by the Presiding Officer. Other political parties represented in the Parliament have a seat on the Bureau if they have more than five members.
Parties with fewer than five members and independent members are also able to join together to form a group (so long as in total there are at least five members) for the purposes of being able to nominate a group member to a Bureau seat.
In the case of political parties, the Bureau member is decided by the party leader. In practice, the Bureau representative is usually the party’s business manager (the MSP which organises their party’s contributions to debates and other parliamentary business).
Previous Standing Orders provided that:
Prior to nominations being made to the Presiding Officer under paragraph 3, the leaders of each party as described in paragraph 1(b) and also any groups formed under paragraph 2 must consult each other and have regard to gender balance in the membership of the Parliamentary Bureau in making those nominations.
Deputy Presiding Officers are also able to attend Bureau if they wish.
Gender balance
To date there have been no rules about gender balance on the Bureau, other than the requirement for party leaders to “consult each other and have regard to gender balance” in the Bureau’s membership.
The Session 6 Gender Sensitive Audit recommended that there be a 40% minimum membership for women on the Bureau. The Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee recommended to the Parliament that gender balance be considered in the appointment of members to the Bureau, but it did not support a minimum percentage membership.
The recommendation made by the Committee, and agreed by the Parliament, was a change to the requirement “to have regard to” gender balance to instead be that party leaders will have “to ensure that due regard is given to achieving gender balance in the membership of the Parliamentary Bureau.”
The Parliament agreed to the proposed change to Standing Orders which took effect on 11 May 2026.
How does the Parliamentary Bureau work?
The Bureau meets in private and in order for it to meet at least half of its members must be in attendance.
In making decisions, the Bureau can vote if it cannot reach agreement. The Presiding Officer does not vote in Bureau proceedings except in the case of a tie where they are able to exercise a casting (i.e., deciding) vote. A Deputy Presiding Officer is able to vote at Bureau only in the event that they are chairing the meeting in place of the Presiding Officer, in which case they may only exercise a casting vote.
Each party or group representative on the Bureau carries one vote for each member of the party or group that they represent (including themselves). As such, the Bureau reflects the make up of the Parliament and is proportional.
How is parliamentary business decided?
Once the Bureau has made a decision on business for the week (or specified period), the Parliament is able to agree or disagree to a business motion of the Parliamentary Bureau (referred to as the business programme). As the Guidance on Chamber Business explains:
The business programme is, in effect, an outline agenda for meetings of the Parliament. It lists all the various items that the Parliament is due to consider at forthcoming meetings, and sets times for when at least some of these items are due to begin. It may also include a timetable for the Parliament’s consideration of items of legislative business (such as Bills, statutory instruments and legislative consent memorandums).
Typically, the business programme covers a period of around two sitting weeks. It is updated on a rolling basis with a new business programme agreed each Wednesday, covering the next two sitting weeks.
The Bureau is also responsible for ensuring that parliamentary time is given to committee business, opposition party business and members’ business. Previously, Standing Orders specified that:
(a) on 12 half sitting days in each Parliamentary year, the business of committees is given priority over the business of the Scottish Government at meetings of the Parliament;
(b) on 16 half sitting days in each Parliamentary year, meetings of the Parliament consider business chosen by political parties which are not represented in the Scottish Government or by any group formed under Rule 5.2.2;
(c) at each meeting of the Parliament there is a period of up to 45 minutes for any Members’ Business; and
(d) time is available to allow any committee to make an announcement on matters in connection with the activities of that committee.
2. For the purposes of this Rule, a half sitting day is that part of a sitting day between 14:30 and 17:00 on a Monday, between 09:15 and 12:30 or 14:30 and 17:00 on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday or between 09:30 and 12:00 on a Friday.
A new rule took effect on 11 May 2026 which requires, in addition to the above, that “on 2 half sittings days in each Parliamentary year, priority is given to debate a report of a People’s Panel”. This is a change which was proposed by the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee and approved by the Parliament.
When the Scottish Government wishes to make Ministerial Statements, the Bureau is also informed by the Presiding Officer. The Bureau is then required to accommodate such statements and debate on them within parliamentary business time.
What information on the Parliamentary Bureau is published?
Agendas, papers and minutes of the Parliamentary Bureau are published on the Scottish Parliament website.
Sarah McKay, SPICe Research