As the Scottish Parliament returns from conference season recess, top of the agenda for many MSPs will be the Scottish Government’s consultation on its Bill for a second independence referendum.

Plans for so-called indyref2 were announced by the First Minister at SNP conference and a draft Bill was subsequently published for consultation last week. While the Bill itself contains little new or surprising information, and essentially suggests that any future vote should be carried out under the same conditions as the 2014 one, its publication is designed to normalise the idea of a second referendum amongst politicians, the media, and, most importantly, the public.

Chamber business this week is dominated by Scottish Government debates on A Fairer Scotland (Tuesday), Future Enterprise and Skills Support in Scotland (Wednesday), and Environmental Protection and Climate Change (Thursday).

Wednesday’s Portfolio Questions focus on Communities, Social Security and Equality and General Questions covers issues including chronic pain services, Scotland’s trade with the EU, and support for veterans. Thursday’s First Minister’s Questions are likely to feature a combination of the ongoing Brexit negotiations and the proposals for IndyRef2.