Current status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 25 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the responses to its consultation on dual mandates in the Scottish Parliament.
The Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill was passed unanimously on 17 December 2024 by the Scottish Parliament. It places a duty on Scottish Ministers to bring forward regulations which:
The Scottish Government conducted a public consultation between 20 January 2025 and 23 March 2025, seeking views on the principles and practical issues of ending dual mandates. The consultation received 77 responses, including 68 from individuals and nine from organisations.
I am pleased to confirm that the consultation analysis report and consultation responses have today been published and are available at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836918127 and https://consult.gov.scot/communications-and-ministerial-support/dual-mandates-in-the-scottish-parliament.
The responses are now being used to inform Regulations. My intention is to lay regulations in autumn 2025 to ensure the practice of dual mandates for MSPs who are also MPs or Peers can be ended in time for the next scheduled Scottish Parliament election in May 2026, should Parliament agree to approve the regulations.