Elected by the Scottish Parliament at the start of each session, and upon a vacancy
Inaugural holder
David Steel
Formation
1999
Deputy
Annabelle Ewing and Liam McArthur[1]
Salary
£118,511 per annum (2023)[2] (including £67,662 MSP salary)
Website
Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the
Politics of Scotland
The Crown
The Monarch
Charles III
Heir apparent
William, Duke of Rothesay
Prerogative
Royal family
Succession
Privy Council
Union of the Crowns
Balmoral Castle
Holyrood Palace
Scottish republicanism
Executive
Scottish Government
Swinney government
First Minister
The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP
Deputy First Minister
Kate Forbes MSP
Cabinet Secretaries
Junior Ministers
Directorates
Scottish budget
Taxation
Executive agencies
Public bodies
Bute House
St Andrew's House
International relations
Legislature
Scottish Parliament
Sixth session
Presiding Officer
Alison Johnstone MSP
Primary legislation
Statutory instrument
Committees
First Minister's Questions
Scotland Act 1998
2012 Act
2016 Act
EU Continuity Act 2020
Law and justice
Cabinet Secretary for Justice
Angela Constance MSP
Lord Advocate
Dorothy Bain KC
Lord President
The Rt Hon Lord Carloway KC PC
Scots law
Udal law
Courts
Judiciary
Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
Police Scotland
Scottish Prison Service
Advocate General
Solicitor General
Elections and referendums
Scottish Parliament elections
1999
2003
2007
2011
2016
2021
Next
United Kingdom Parliament elections
1801 co-option
1802
1806
1807
1812
1818
1820
1826
1830
1831
1832
1835
1837
1841
1847
1852
1857
1859
1865
1868
1874
1880
1885
1886
1892
1895
1900
1906
1910 (Jan)
1910 (Dec)
1918
1922
1923
1924
1929
1931
1935
1945
1950
1951
1955
1959
1964
1966
1970
1974 (Feb)
1974 (Oct)
1979
1983
1987
1992
1997
2001
2005
2010
2015
2017
2019
European Parliament elections
1979
1984
1989
1994
1999
2004
2009
2014
2019
Local elections
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1977
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1995
1999
2003
2007
2012
2017
2022
Referendums
1975
1979
1994
1997
2005
2011
2014
2016
Scottish Parliament constituencies
Scottish Parliament electoral regions
Scottish Westminster constituencies
Proposed second independence referendum
Electoral system
Political parties
Scotland and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom Government
Sunak ministry
Prime Minister
The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP
Secretary of State for Scotland
The Rt Hon Alister Jack MP
Scottish devolution
Treaty of Union
House of Commons
House of Lords
Scotland Office
Scottish Affairs Committee
Scottish Grand Committee
Interministerial Standing Committee
Barnett formula
Reserved matters
Sewel motion
Administration
Council areas
History
Sheriffdoms
Community councils
Lieutenancy areas
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
Category
Scotland portal
Other countries
v
t
e
The presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament (Scottish Gaelic: Oifigear-Riaghlaidh, Scots: Preses[3]) is the presiding officer and speaker of the Scottish Parliament. The office of presiding officer was established by the Scotland Act 1998, and the elected presiding officer is a member of the Scottish Parliament who is elected by the Scottish Parliament by means of an exhaustive ballot, and is ex officio the head of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The presiding officer is considered a figurehead of the Scottish Parliament and has an office in Queensberry House.
Appointments to the Privy Council are made by the monarch, although in practice they are made only on the advice of the UK government. To date all presiding officers have been appointed members of the Privy Council, and therefore entitled to use the style 'Right Honourable'.
The current presiding officer is Alison Johnstone, who was elected on 13 May 2021, following the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. A member of the Scottish Greens, she was sworn in as presiding officer at the opening of the 6th session of the Scottish Parliament and is the second woman to hold the office and the first former member of the Scottish Greens to do so.
^Davidson, Jenni (14 May 2021). "Scottish Parliament's deputy presiding officers elected after five-hour voting session". Holyrood. Edinburgh. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
^"MSP salaries". parliament.scot. The Scottish Parliament. 5 April 2023.
^"Your Scots Pairlament" (PDF). www.parliament.scot (in Scots). Scottish Parliament. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2020.
and 23 Related for: Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament information
is a Scottish politician serving as Deputy PresidingOfficeroftheScottishParliament, alongside Annabelle Ewing, since May 2021. A member ofthe Scottish...
The 6th ScottishParliament was elected at the 2021 ScottishParliament election. It was opened with the Escort to the Crown ofScotland Parade and Speech...
representation. Parliament reconvened on 12 May 2016 with the swearing-in of MSPs and the election ofthepresidingofficer and two deputy presidingofficers. Queen...
by the monarch, on the proposal ofthePresidingOfficer. If Parliament itself resolves that it should be dissolved, with at least two-thirds ofthe Members...
state for Scotland to the first minister and also created a rank for thepresidingofficeroftheScottishParliament. Throughout Scotland, the first minister...
as PresidingOfficeroftheScottishParliament. As is customary, she has suspended her party membership oftheScottish Greens. Joan McAlpine is the former...
a Scottish Labour politician who served as Deputy PresidingOfficeroftheScottishParliament from 2003 to 2011. She was the Member oftheScottish Parliament...
Scottish politician who was a Member oftheScottishParliament (MSP) for the North East Scotland region between 2011 and 2021. A member ofScottish Labour...
An act oftheScottishParliament (Scottish Gaelic: Achd Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) is primary legislation made by theScottishParliament. The power to create...