Reflection slot is praying off at parliament

Published on Monday 9 November 2009 08:55

SCOTTISH Parliament presiding officer Alex Fergusson has hailed Holyrood's weekly "Time for Reflection" as a great success.

The regular prayer or meditation slot, which has been led by people of all faiths in the ten years since the parliament was established, was first proposed by Mr Fergusson when he was a Tory backbencher.

In an interview with Church of Scotland magazine Life and Work, he said he had suggested the idea because he felt it was "odd" for MSPs to be meeting in the Kirk's General Assembly Hall and just getting straight down to business.

Now "Time for Reflection" is the first item of the week's business in the debating chamber, and the Dalai Lama is among those who have addressed MSPs.