S7M-01517: Strengthening Scotland’s Cyber Resilience

The motion

That the Parliament recognises that strong cyber resilience is essential to protecting people's rights, safety and access to essential public services as well as ensuring Scotland’s national resilience, economic prosperity and the delivery of public services; notes that the increasing reliance on digital technologies is exposing individuals, businesses, public services and the democratic system to growing cyber threats, including cyber crime, online fraud, scams, and ransomware; acknowledges the importance of improving public awareness and personal online security and protecting people’s safety; recognises that cyber resilience is a shared responsibility requiring coordination and action across all sectors, and robust regulation of new technologies; welcomes progress through the Strategic Framework for a Cyber Resilient Scotland, the CyberScotland Partnership and the Scottish Cyber Coordination Centre; recognises that these strategies must be effectively resourced; supports more robust cyber resilience standards for public, private and third sector organisations, and supports continued collaboration and cooperation with partners across Scotland, the UK and internationally to identify, manage and respond to evolving digital risks.

What MSPs voted on: the motion as amended

The SNP’s motion was rewritten by amendments from Labour (S7M-01517.1), the Greens (S7M-01517.2) and the Liberal Democrats (S7M-01517.4) before this vote. A vote ‘for’ was a vote for the motion as amended, not as lodged.

That the Parliament recognises that strong cyber resilience is essential to protecting people's rights, safety and access to essential public services as well as ensuring Scotland’s national resilience, economic prosperity and the delivery of public services; notes that the increasing reliance on digital technologies is exposing individuals, businesses, public services and the democratic system to growing cyber threats, including cyber crime, online fraud, scams, and ransomware; acknowledges the importance of improving public awareness and personal online security and protecting people’s safety; recognises that cyber resilience is a shared responsibility requiring coordination and action across all sectors, and robust regulation of new technologies; welcomes progress through the Strategic Framework for a Cyber Resilient Scotland, the CyberScotland Partnership and the Scottish Cyber Coordination Centre; recognises that these strategies must be effectively resourced; supports more robust cyber resilience standards for public, private and third sector organisations, and supports continued collaboration and cooperation with partners across Scotland, the UK and internationally to identify, manage and respond to evolving digital risks.S7M-01517.1 Labour ; welcomes the UK Government’s Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill as a step towards building nationwide protocols for protecting critical infrastructure, and calls on the Scottish Government to ensure that areas within its devolved competence are adequately resourced to establish any additional security measures or reporting mechanisms that may be required.S7M-01517.2 Green ; recognises that digital sovereignty is an increasingly important aspect of cyber resilience, including the risks arising from excessive dependence on a small number of multinational technology companies and foreign-owned digital infrastructure; further recognises the importance of strong privacy, human rights and democratic safeguards; supports diversified, interoperable and secure digital infrastructure, open standards, responsible public procurement and investment in Scotland’s cyber security skills, research and public-interest technological capability; notes steps being taken at a European level to strengthen digital sovereignty; agrees that the UK Government should be more proactive in pursuing digital sovereignty, and believes that the Scottish Government should begin work to develop a Scottish digital sovereignty strategy, given that this will be necessary in the event of independence.S7M-01517.4 Liberal Democrat ; recognises that cyber resilience depends on the security and resilience of the physical infrastructure on which digital services rely; understands the risks to critical digital infrastructure of accidental, environmental and deliberate disruption, including sabotage and the actions of hostile actors, and recognises the particular importance of resilient and diverse connectivity for Scotland’s island and remote communities.

Final wording as read into the Official Report at Decision Time. The marked changes are worked out by this site from the amendment texts and match that wording.

Amendments

S7M-01517.1 Labour Pauline McNeill Agreed vote, 96–13
S7M-01517.3 Reform UK Amanda Bland Defeated vote, 35–74
S7M-01517.2 Green Maggie Chapman Agreed vote, 65–42
S7M-01517.4 Liberal Democrat Alex Cole-Hamilton Agreed without a vote, per the Official Report

Signatures by party

1 MSP besides the lodger · 0 from other parties

SNP 1

Party on the day each MSP signed. Signing a motion is voluntary and not whipped. Who signs whose motions

Vote

1 division

8 Oct 2026
Strengthening Scotland’s Cyber Resilience
S7M-01517as amended by Labour + Green + Liberal Democrat
Carried
70 for, 37 against

Amendments

4

S7M-01517.1

Strengthening Scotland’s Cyber Resilience
Pauline McNeill Lab Lodged 7 Oct 2026

Carried
96 for, 13 against
S7M-01517.2

Strengthening Scotland’s Cyber Resilience
Maggie Chapman Green Lodged 7 Oct 2026

Carried
65 for, 42 against
S7M-01517.3

Strengthening Scotland’s Cyber Resilience
Amanda Bland Reform Lodged 7 Oct 2026

Defeated
35 for, 74 against
S7M-01517.4

Strengthening Scotland’s Cyber Resilience
Alex Cole-Hamilton LD Lodged 7 Oct 2026

No recorded vote

Supporters

1 MSP

SNP 1

Show all 1 supporter by party

SNP 1

Kirsten Oswald

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

In the Official Report

7 contributions mention S7M-01517

8 Oct 2026

Cyber Resilience
Clare Adamson SNP Meeting of the Parliament

The next item of business is a debate on motion S7M-01517, in the name of Neil Gray, on strengthening Scotland’s cyber resilience. Members who wish to speak in the debate should press their request-to-speak buttons now.15:08
8 Oct 2026

Decision Time
Kenneth Gibson Meeting of the Parliament

There are five questions to be put as a result of today’s business.The first question is, that amendment S7M-01517.1, in the name of Pauline McNeill, which seeks to amend motion S7M-01517, in the name of Neil Gray, on strengthening Scotlan…
8 Oct 2026

Decision Time
Kenneth Gibson Meeting of the Parliament

The next question is, that amendment S7M-01517.3, in the name of Amanda Bland, which seeks to amend motion S7M-01517, in the name of Neil Gray, on strengthening Scotland’s cyber resilience, be agreed to. Are we agreed?Members: No.
8 Oct 2026

Decision Time
Kenneth Gibson Meeting of the Parliament

The next question is, that amendment S7M-01517.2, in the name of Maggie Chapman, which seeks to amend motion S7M-01517, in the name of Neil Gray, on strengthening Scotland’s cyber resilience, be agreed to. Are we agreed?Members: No.
8 Oct 2026

Decision Time
Kenneth Gibson Meeting of the Parliament

The next question is, that amendment S7M-01517.4, in the name of Alex Cole-Hamilton, which seeks to amend motion S7M-01517, in the name of Neil Gray, on strengthening Scotland’s cyber resilience, be agreed to.Amendment agreed to.
8 Oct 2026

Decision Time
Kenneth Gibson Meeting of the Parliament

Well done, Alex.The final question is, that motion S7M-01517, in the name of Neil Gray, on strengthening Scotland’s cyber resilience, as amended, be agreed to. Are we agreed?Members: No.
8 Oct 2026

Decision Time
Kenneth Gibson Meeting of the Parliament

The result of the division on motion S7M-01517, in the name of Neil Gray, on strengthening Scotland’s cyber resilience, as amended, is: For 70, Against 37, Abstentions 0.Motion, as amended, agreed to,That the Parliament recognises that str…