Meeting of the Parliament 17 February 2026 [Draft]
In the extremely limited time that I have at my disposal, I will begin by acknowledging the significant contribution that Katy Clark has made to the debate on FOI rights and responsibilities. She is to be commended for ensuring that the Parliament has an opportunity to reflect on the successes of current FOI legislation and to debate areas in which improvements could be made.
I thank the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee for producing such a considered report. Although it found areas to support in the bill, it noted that there is not sufficient time in the current parliamentary session to carry out the substantial further work that would be required on it, as Sue Webber’s amendment acknowledges. That is why the committee recommended that the Parliament does not agree to the general principles of the bill. I accept that recommendation, just as I accept Sue Webber’s amendment, which makes the same point. As Minister for Parliamentary Business, I can testify to how busy the Parliament will be with finalising legislation in the five weeks that we have left.
I want to be clear, however, that the Scottish Government believes that the bill and the committee’s report provide solid foundations that will allow the Parliament to consider in the forthcoming session how it builds on freedom of information legislation.
Scotland has had strong—