The usual parliamentary process for a Scottish Parliament bill
consists of three stages:
- Stage 1 - consideration of the general principles
of the bill by parliamentary committee(s), and a debate and decision on
these by the Parliament.
- Stage 2 - detailed consideration of the bill by
parliamentary committee(s). Two days before a bill will be considered in
committee, the clerks prepare a Marshalled List of amendments, which is
posted on the bill’s web page.
- Stage 3 - final consideration of the bill by the
Parliament and a decision whether it should be passed or rejected.
After a bill has been passed and received royal assent, it
becomes an Act of the Scottish Parliament and appears on the Legislation.gov.uk
website.
Not all the provisions of the Act will necessarily commence
(come into force) with royal assent. The Act may state when provisions will
come into force or that the date (or dates, if different parts are to be
brought into force at different times) will be decided by the Scottish
Ministers.
Enquiries about commencement should be directed to the Scottish
Government.
Detailed information on the legislative process can be found
in the Parliament’s standing orders.