As the Scottish Parliament returns from summer recess, SPICe has taken the opportunity to reflect on parliamentary business during the previous session.
This is the second blog in a two-part blog that draws on data published annually in the Scottish Parliament Statistics volumes and Fact Sheets, covering the period from the start of Session 6 on 12 May 2021 to the dissolution of the Scottish Parliament on 9 April 2026.
The blog highlights selected insights from the data and is not intended to provide an exhaustive or comprehensive analysis of parliamentary activity during Session 6.
Statistics are presented both for Session 6 as a whole and by parliamentary year (PY). A parliamentary year is a period, normally of 12 months, beginning on the date of the Parliament’s first meeting following a general election and on each subsequent anniversary of that date throughout the session.
Committees
Session 6 committees were formed and began meeting in June 2021. A total of 17 committees met throughout the session.
MSPs spent a total of 5,334 hours and 56 minutes in committee meetings in Session 6.
The amount of time spent in committee meetings increased each year during the session.
PY1 2021/2022 | PY2 2022/2023 | PY3 2023/2024 | PY4 2024/2025 | PY5 2025/2026 | S6 Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
942:24 | 1091:49 | 1093:07 | 1099:49 | 1107:47 | 5334:56 |
There were 2,381 committee meetings in Session 6. The number of meetings was lower in the first and last years of the session.
PY1 2021/2022 | PY2 2022/2023 | PY3 2023/2024 | PY4 2024/2025 | PY5 2025/2026 | S6 Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
445 | 492 | 488 | 496 | 460 | 2,381 |
While hybrid committee meetings were held throughout the session, the number of these meetings decreased each year as Session 6 progressed.
PY1 2021/2022 | PY2 2022/2023 | PY3 2023/2024 | PY4 2024/2025 | PY5 2025/2026 | S6 Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
252 | 197 | 136 | 128 | 123 | 836 |
Committee meetings can be wholly private, partly private or fully public.
Legislation
A total of 80 Bills were introduced to the Scottish Parliament in Session 6.
PY1 2021/2022 | PY2 2022/2023 | PY3 2023/2024 | PY4 2024/2025 | PY5 2025/2026 | S6 Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 | 13 | 19 | 21 | 13 | 80 |
During Session 6, Government Bills were the most common type of bill considered. The length of time a Bill took to pass varied. Most bills completed their parliamentary passage in around a year, with a median duration of 350 days from introduction to Royal Assent.
- The European Charter of Local Self-Government (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill had the longest overall passage at 2,171 days. However, this Bill was introduced in Session 5 and was subject to reconsideration.
- The Care Reform (Scotland) Bill had the longest passage of all Bills introduced in Session 6 at 1,128 days.
- The Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Bill had the shortest passage in Session 6 at 21 days.
- At 332 days, the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill was closest to the median number of days for a Bill’s passage.
Session 6 was the first time the Scottish Parliament held Reconsideration Stage proceedings in relation to reconsideration of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill and the European Charter of Local Self Government (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill.
SPICe previously published a briefing explaining the circumstances in which a Bill may be eligible for reconsideration by the Parliament and the parliamentary procedure for reconsidering and making amendments to a Bill at Reconsideration Stage.
The amount of time considering legislation in the Chamber rose considerably in the final year of Session 6 with over 181 hours spent on Bills. This compares to 30 hours spent on Bills in the first year of the session.
Three of the longest meetings in the session were at Stage 3 consideration:
- Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill proceedings at Stage 3 resulted in the longest meeting length in Session 6, with proceedings lasting for 9 hours 51 minutes over three consecutive days of sittings in December 2022, with one going on as late as 01:34
- Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill took 9 hours 13 minutes
- Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Bill was 7 hours 24 minutes.
For the first time in the Parliament’s history, the UK Government used its powers under section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 to prohibit the Presiding Officer from submitting the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill for Royal Assent.
Anniversary celebrations
2024 was the Scottish Parliament’s 25th anniversary year and the 20th anniversary of the move to the Parliament building. To mark these milestones, the Parliament delivered a programme of events and activities throughout 2024.
As part of these events, the Presiding Officer visited regions all over Scotland, meeting people to hear their views and ideas for the future. These visits involved 179 community organisations and 905 people and commenced on 20 May 2024 with a visit to the Borders.
Visitors to the Parliament
The Parliament closed to visitors from 17 March 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. It reopened fully to visitors in April 2022.
Visitor numbers remained steady throughout the session, with over 700,000 people coming to visit the parliament in Session 6.
PY1 2021/2022 | PY2 2022/2023 | PY3 2023/2024 | PY4 2024/2025 | PY5 2025/2026 | S6 Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10,471 | 158,603 | 190,213 | 177,402 | 166,056 | 702,745 |
Session 7 and beyond
SPICe will continue to manage and collate parliamentary business data throughout Session 7. Data is published annually in the Scottish Parliament Statistics volumes
Rebecca Bartlett, Julia Hurst, Emma Robinson, and Gwynneth Cowley
SPICe