Holyrood bans photos of new bar for MSPs

Published on 05/09/2012 00:00

PHOTOGRAPHERs have been barred from the new £125,000 bar in the Scottish Parliament, even before the first drinks were served last night.

The parliamentary authorities have banned the taking 
of any pictures of the Queensberry House Lounge, which 
cost taxpayers £75,000 to 
open, with the remainder being met by catering contractors 
Sodexo.

The ban came to light after a request to take photographs of the new facility was rejected by Holyrood.

The new bar has been created because the parliamentary authorities felt that they could 
not justify the £50,000 annual cost of keeping the existing members’ restaurant in the 
£414 million building open at night.

In the new bar, light meals 
are on offer until 8:30pm, and the bar can accommodate around 30 people.

The lounge will only be open to MSPs and other parliament pass holders, and their invited guests.

A parliament spokeswoman said that the taking of photographs was not allowed in advance of the bar’s opening because it would disrupt preparations.

And pictures will not be allowed once the building is open, to protect members’ privacy, she said.

She said: “Our focus remains on providing a service to those using the lounge – and their expectations of privacy in this space.

“This is entirely in keeping with how we manage private areas of the building.”

The decision to open the new bar was made in June by the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB), a cross-party 
group which also contains the presiding officer for the 
Scottish Parliament, Tricia 
Marwick.