Stewart Duncan (LLB (Hons), MSc)

Thesis title: How policy becomes law in devolved Scotland: the drafting of Bills at Holyrood

Biography

Background

Stewart Duncan is a PhD student in the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh. His research is concerned with the pre-introduction preparation of Scottish Government Bills: the internal process by which policy intent is developed, refined, and settled into a legislative proposal capable of being introduced in the Scottish Parliament. The project is directed to describing and explaining that process as it operates in practice, based on the documentary record, with attention to the stages through which Bills are developed for introduction, the documentary materials through which policy intent is specified and revised, and the points at which decisions are taken and recorded.

Stewart undertakes his studies alongside his work in the Scottish Parliament as a Researcher and Policy Officer, supporting the Scottish Labour Party on education and skills policy (including children and young people). His work involves policy development and scrutiny, drafting and refining parliamentary questions and briefing, stakeholder engagement, and supporting legislative and committee business. 

Qualifications

Ph.D Law, University of Edinburgh (2025-present) How policy becomes law in devolved Scotland: the drafting of Bills at Holyrood

Supervision by Scott Wortley and James Mitchell

 

M.Sc Public Policy with Distinction, University of Edinburgh (2024-25)

LL.B (Hons) Law with First Class Honours, Edinburgh Napier University (2020-24) 

Responsibilities & affiliations

Research and Policy Officer, Scottish Parliament (2025–present)

Researcher and Policy Officer supporting the Scottish Labour Party on education and skills policy. Responsibilities include policy research and analysis; preparing committee briefings, speeches and parliamentary questions; drafting and negotiating legislative amendments; and engaging with stakeholders across schools, colleges, universities, local government, trade unions and the wider education and skills sector.

Legislative work during the current parliamentary session has included the Scottish Languages (Scotland) Act 2025; Education (Scotland) Act 2025; Tertiary Education & Training (Funding and Governance) Bill; Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill; Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Bill; Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Bill; Children (Withdrawal from Religious Education and Amendment of UNCRC Compatibility Duty) (Scotland) Bill; Housing (Scotland) Act 2025; and the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.

Undergraduate teaching

Tutor, Politics  of the Welfare State (SCPL08005)

School of Social and Political Science, Session 2025/26 - Semester 2

The 20 credit, level 8 course examines the politics of the welfare state in the UK in the context of major economic and political developments since 2008, including Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, and considers the role of ideology, public opinion, political actors, interest groups and the media in shaping welfare reform.  It also introduces students to key welfare benefits and services, how they are delivered and funded, and who benefits, supported through structured tutorial discussion and feedback.  

 

Tutor, Understanding Public Policy (SCPL08012)

School of Social and Political Science, Session 2025/26 - Semester 1

The 20 credit, level 8 course introduces students to key theories and concepts in the study of public policy, with an emphasis on how policy is made by different actors and across multiple levels of government, using thematic teaching, case studies, and practitioner input. It also supports students to develop core analytical and academic writing skills through structured tutorial discussion and formative feedback.

Research summary

Stewart’s research interests include legal history, legislative studies, and devolved governance, with a particular focus on the constitutional and institutional arrangements that influence policymaking in devolved Scotland. He is interested in how public policy is translated into legislative proposals for the Scottish Parliament, and in how the legislative processes and institutional practices surrounding Holyrood shape what is later possible in terms of scrutiny, amendment, and implementation. He also maintains a broader interest in administrative law and judicial review as part of the legal context within which governmental decision-making takes place.

Current research interests

A doctrinal and archive-supported study of the pre-introduction preparation of Scottish Government Bills, examining how policy intent is developed, refined, and settled into an introduced legislative scheme, and how the documentary record of that process evidences the stages, artefacts, and decision points that shape a Bill before it is introduced at Holyrood.

Recent writing

SA Duncan, 'Reforming Holyrood's Committees: A Constitutional Perspective', U.K. Const. L. Blog (27th November 2025) (available at https://ukconstitutionallaw.org/)

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