Holyrood security set to be tightened with new gates

Published on Tuesday 5 August 2008 10:34

NEW gates are to be installed at the Scottish Parliament, more than a year after bosses were told by MI5 that security needed to be stepped up.

The new security gates and turnstiles are now set to be put in place at the Queensberry House and Canongate entrances to the 414 million Holyrood Building.

The new measures will not affect public visitors to the parliament as they are for staff and MSPs only.

Officials said they were being brought in following advice received from Security Services in "early 2007".

The cost of the project has not been finalised, as officials said a contractor had still to be brought in to carry out the work, but it is almost certain to run into thousands of pounds.

The new gates to be created at the access to Queensberry House will see an existing metal gate replaced with a full-height fence and double turnstile.

There will also be a new side gate created for disabled access, with an intercom connected to the security desk at the parliament.

At the Canongate entrance, the existing gate will be relocated to the side of the building, where it will be used to maintain a fire exit. In its place, a full-height double turnstile for access only and a separate turnstile for exit only will be erected.

In addition, a self-contained "mantrap" room will be created for disabled access.

The idea of the "mantrap" – essentially a self-contained area where the inner door will not open until the outer door is shut – is to prevent anyone "tailgating" their way into the building.

A Scottish Parliament spokeswoman said: "Following advice from the Security Services last year, the SPCB reported to parliament that it would be taking steps to improve its perimeter security. It would be counterproductive at this stage to discuss the detail of the installation of additional security measures."

She added that the new gates were just one of a number of security measures which had been implemented since the 2007 advice.

This is the latest addition to the controversial Holyrood building since it was "completed" in 2004 – three years late and ten times over budget.

Since then 12 specially-crafted doors have had to be replaced, 33,000 incidents of "snagging" have been reported, and there have been several high-profile problems with the building, including the collapse of a roof beam in the parliament's debating chamber in March 2006.

Last month two spotlights fell from the roof, and the parliament has also had to spend thousands of pounds replacing hinges on the metal gates at its entrances.

Independent Lothians MSP Margo MacDonald, who has been a fierce critic of the parliament's many problems, said she could not imagine exactly who the security gates were designed to keep out. "They talk about tailgating, but who exactly is it that they don't want in to the parliament," she said. "I think if they conducted a poll on the street they wouldn't find one person who wanted to get in there.

"It will be interesting to see what the cost of this will be.

"I don't know why they feel this is needed, but I suppose the corporate body have to have something to do, and if nothing else they are often a source of innocent, if expensive, amusement."