Reading Time: 8 minutes Background Following a review of intergovernmental relations, the UK Government and devolved governments agreed to reform existing arrangements in January 2022. Read a previous SPICe
Category: Parliament & Government
Accountability in budget scrutiny – do committees influence the Scottish Government’s decisions?Â
Reading Time: 7 minutes This blog looks back at the recommendations made by committees during pre-budget scrutiny 2024-25 and the impact of committee scrutiny on the Scottish Budget 2024-25.
Intergovernmental activity update: Quarter 4 2023Â
Reading Time: < 1 minute SPICe has published a new quarterly intergovernmental activity update, which covers quarter 4 (October to December) of 2023. You can find previous updates on our
Digital footprints to deleted trails: what is the status of deleted information and non-corporate messaging tools in the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002?Â
Reading Time: 5 minutes Recent disclosures at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry have brought significant attention to the use of non-corporate messaging platforms like WhatsApp in the delivery of public authorities’ official business. This blog looks at the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and how information held by public authorities on non-corporate messaging platforms can be accessed through the freedom of information regime.
The Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales’s final report
Reading Time: 5 minutes The Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales (‘the Commission’) published its final report on 17 January 2024. This blog summarises recommendations made by
Update blog on the Scottish Parliament Proxy Voting Scheme
Reading Time: 5 minutes The Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments (SPPA) Committee is due to hold a debate in the Chamber on 20 December 2023. The Committee is proposing
What retained EU law will be revoked by the end of 2023 – December update
Reading Time: 5 minutes Background The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act (‘the Act’) received Royal Assent on 29 June 2023. Previous SPICe blogs explain what retained EU
Court of Session decision on the use of section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 in relation to the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill
Reading Time: 6 minutes This blog considers the decision of the Outer House of the Court of Session on the use of section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 in relation to the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill – Reconsideration Stage
Reading Time: 6 minutes This blog provides background on the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill
Guest blog: Tracking public engagement through the parliamentary process
Reading Time: 4 minutes This blog looks at the work of Dr Adam Chalmers from the University of Edinburgh who has been examining how the Parliament can trace public