Parliament smokers told to move along

POLITICIANS and staff at the Scottish Parliament are to be banned from lighting up in their favourite smoking spot.

Complaints from other employees have prompted Holyrood bosses to rule smokers at the parliament can no longer take their fag breaks at the Canongate staff entrance, where the overhanging cantilever building gives them a shelter when it rains.

The area is popular with many smoking politicians, including Labour leader and East Lothian MSP Iain Gray, because it gives easy access to and from the parliament's garden lobby, but is not visible from the street because of the security turnstiles.

Now, however, MSPs and staff needing a cigarette will be told they must go to the parliament's officially designated smoking area in a corner of the Queensberry House courtyard, where there is no shelter from the elements.

It is understood people working in the offices above the Canongate entrance complained they could smell the smoke coming from below.

The ban, due to be introduced when parliament is dissolved for the May elections, means an end to a "trial" scheme which began more than a year ago when smoking was officially allowed at the Canongate entrance.

One smoker said: "They have this stupid idea that smoke somehow manages to travel out from underneath the cantilever and up to the offices above. In terms of physics, I think it's pretty impossible.

"A few people are so anti-smoking they hate the idea there are people outside smoking and they cause a huge fuss."

He questioned why Queensberry House was seen as a more appropriate smoking place.

"That's the entrance used by dignitaries like ambassadors coming to the parliament. It doesn't look very good if you have a lot of people standing outside there smoking.

"At least at the Canongate entrance, no-one can see you and when it's pouring with rain you get a bit of shelter.

"It seems like a heavy-handed approach. I can't see how smoking at Queensberry House would not have the same impact, allegedly, on offices there."

Holyrood's internal smoking room was closed in February 2006 ahead of the Scotland-wide ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces. Parliament bosses designated part of the Queensberry House courtyard as an official smoking area but decided against providing a shelter after claims it could cost 40,000.

A parliament spokesman said: "From November 2009 we trialled the use of the Canongate area as a smoking area. The feedback from building users highlighted that smoke could be detected inside the building.

"The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body agreed that, from the date of dissolution, smoking in the Canongate area will only be allowed outwith business hours or on occasions when the Queensberry House courtyard is not accessible."

A spokesman for Mr Gray said: "Iain will, of course, abide by any parliamentary rules."