Since the beginning of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Scottish Parliament has had to adapt to new ways of working. This briefing examines how the Parliament has adapted to ensure that it can operate safely whilst continuing to function as a legislature at a time of national emergency.
The briefing looks at the immediate response of the Scottish Parliament; the changes required to allow the Parliament to sit as a virtual and hybrid Parliament and the impact of these changes as noted in the session five Standards, Procedures and Public Appointment Committee's report into the resilience of the Scottish Parliament's practices and procedures1The Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee of the Scottish Parliament . (2021, February 23). Standing Order Rule Changes - Inquiry into the resilience of the Scottish Parliament's practices and procedures in relation to its business. Retrieved from <a href="https://bprcdn.parliament.scot/published/SPPA/2021/2/23/67bb1cc0-ce9d-49be-8e2d-7f9af86b75d5/SPPAS052021R02.pdf" target="_blank">https://bprcdn.parliament.scot/published/SPPA/2021/2/23/67bb1cc0-ce9d-49be-8e2d-7f9af86b75d5/SPPAS052021R02.pdf</a> [accessed 1 December 2021].
Information is also given on how other legislatures across the UK and globally have responded to the pandemic and how their working practices have changed as a result.