Holyrood bans photos of new bar for MSPs

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.