Scottish Parliament’s £1.8 million plans to beef up security

Holyrood is to spend £1.8 million beefing up security at the parliament by building a new extension, a security kiosk and a cycle turn-style to prevent an attack from a lone gunman.

Picture: TSPL

The project has been announced following a review of security conducted in light of the shootings at the Canadian Parliament in October last year.

A letter from the Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick said the review recommended the changes to “to reflect the changing nature of threat at home and abroad, in particular attacks by a lone individual or individuals.”

The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB), the group of MSPs responsible for running the parliament, agreed to the project after receiving advice from its security advisers.

The work will be carried out on the Scottish Parliament’s service yard gatehouse.

An upper storey extension will be put on the service yard gatehouse, a free standing security kiosk will be installed in the area as will as a turn-style to be used by those who bicycle to Holyrood.

Ms Marwick’s letter said: “The SCPB has a legal duty of care to take all steps reasonably practicable to ensure the safety of all building users and the 300,000 members of the public who visit the parliament each each. We believe the work proposed is prudent and proportionate in the current climate and is the right decision on behalf of those whose safety is our responsibility.”

In October last year a gunman attacked the Canadian parliament in Ottawa. He shot a soldier dead before himself being killed by a parliamentary official.

Mrs Marwick said the total cost of the project would be £1,873,000. She said the cost will be met from “within the parliament’s existing resources by re-allocation of existing project expenditure”. She added there would be no extra demand on the public purse.