About the Scottish Parliament

Office of the Clerk dates

The Office of the Clerk is now closed ahead of the Scottish Parliament Election being held on 7 May 2026. This includes the recess period before dissolution:

• 26 March to 8 April 2026

Motions, amendments and questions may be lodged on any day when the Office of the Clerk is open (including during recess). Such days are sometimes known as “counting days”.

Bills can be introduced on any day when the Office of the Clerk is open, but which is not a day of recess or dissolution. Such days are known as “sitting days”. 

Sitting days and counting days are important in running parliamentary business. They are used to calculate timeframes for:

• answers to be given to written parliamentary questions
• minimum periods between stages of Bills
• the lodging of amendments to Bills.

Recess and dissolution dates