Parliamentary News Release

035/2003

Sunday 1 June 2003

HM QUEEN TO ADDRESS SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT: PROGRAMME AND MEDIA DETAILS

Her Majesty The Queen is to address the second session of the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday 3 June. This note sets out full programme details and media access arrangements.

For security purposes media should note that special media ticket arrangements will be in place on Tuesday for access to the Chamber.

Accredited media must be in possession of or have collected these tickets from Parliament’s Media Relations Office by no later than 12 noon on Tuesday.

Programme of Events for Her Majesty The Queen’s Address: 3 June

2.30pm Public guests begin to arrive at Mylne’s Court entrance to the Parliament

Local school children assemble outside the Quadrangle to await The Queen’s arrival.

3.10pm A Piper from Lothian and Borders Police Pipe Band plays at the Mound entrance to the Parliament until Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh arrive

3.25pm Her Majesty and His Royal Highness arrive Scottish Parliament, the Assembly Hall, The Mound

Met by George Reid MSP, the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, the Archway, John Knox’s Quadrangle

The Presiding Officer escorts The Queen and The Duke into the Quadrangle, where he will present Deputy Presiding Officers Trish Godman MSP and Murray Tosh MSP

The Presiding Officer will then escort The Queen and the Deputy Presiding Officers will escort The Duke of Edinburgh, across the Quadrangle and into the Assembly Hall

Inverness Gaelic Choir (Coisir Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis) sing as the Presiding Officer escorts The Queen and the Deputy Presiding Officers escort The Duke of Edinburgh across the Quadrangle

3.35pm In the Black and White corridor, Assembly Hall the Presiding Officer and the Deputy Presiding Officers will present:

The Rt Hon Jack McConnell MSP, The First Minister and Leader of the Scottish Labour Party

The Rt Hon Jim Wallace MSP, The Deputy First Minister and Leader of the Scottish Liberal-Democrats

John Swinney MSP, Leader of the Scottish National Party

David McLetchie MSP, Leader of the Scottish Conservatives

Robin Harper MSP, Parliamentary Leader of the Green Party

3.35pm Meanwhile in the Chamber, a programme of music is performed by the National Youth Choir of Scotland Edinburgh Children’s Choir

3.40pm The Queen and The Duke will then be escorted to the Presiding Officer’s Room for a short retiral period

The Lord-Lieutenant, Clerk to the Lieutenancy and the Royal Household will take their seats in the VIP Gallery

3.58pm The Presiding Officers will escort the Queen and The Duke to the Chamber

4.00pm In the Chamber, a fanfare introduction is played by Her Majesty’s State Trumpeters

The Scottish Parliament’s mace will be carried in front of the Presiding Officer and The Queen when they enter the Chamber

The Presiding Officer will escort The Queen and the Deputy Presiding Officers will escort The Duke of Edinburgh into the Chamber and down the left aisle, the route that the Crown of Scotland arrived via in 1999

The Presiding Officer will show The Queen to the chair on his right in the Chamber and the Clerk/Chief Executive of the Scottish Parliament will be seated on the chair to his left.

The Deputy Presiding Officer will show The Duke of Edinburgh to the central chair in the well of the Chamber and they will then sit on the chairs on either side of The Duke of Edinburgh

4.02pm The Presiding Officer will open the meeting of Parliament and will formally welcome The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh

4.07pm The Queen will respond to the Presiding Officer’s remarks and will address the Scottish Parliament

4.15pm The Presiding Officer will invite the First Minister of Scotland to thank The Queen

4.20pm The Presiding Officer will close the meeting of Parliament

4.21pm Fanfare to mark The Queen’s departure is sounded

The Scottish Parliament’s mace will be carried in front of the Presiding Officer and The Queen when they depart the Chamber

The Presiding Officers escort The Queen and The Duke up the left aisle and out of the Chamber

The Presiding Officer will escort The Queen and the Deputy Presiding Officers will escort The Duke of Edinburgh out of the Assembly Hall and across the Quadrangle

In the Quadrangle the Presiding Officer and the Deputy Presiding Officers will present a group of schoolchildren from the Edinburgh Children’s Choir and members from the Inverness Gaelic Choir

4.25pm The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh depart the Scottish Parliament

Special media access arrangements

Special media invitations will be required by all media attending the address. Eric MacLeod of the Parliament’s Media Relations Office will make these available to accredited media during Monday and Tuesday morning at Parliament. No access will be given without a media invitation. All media must be in possession of these tickets by 12 noon on Tuesday.

Access for non-accredited media will be extremely limited. Non-accredited media must contact the Media Relations Office in advance to establish availability.

There will be 40 seats available to media. If necessary, media organisations may be required to be restricted to one representative per organisation (ie per newspaper or broadcast programme).

Although the Address will commence at 4.00pm the actual event in the Chamber will start at 3.35pm with a 20-minute programme of music. All attendees must be therefore be seated by 3.25pm. No admittance to the Chamber will be permitted after that time.

No access to the Black and White corridor

There will be no access to the Black and White corridor during Tuesday prior to The Queen’s arrival other than for the purpose of media accessing their seats in the Gallery. Media will not be permitted to congregate in the Black and White Corridor until after The Queen’s departure. This also applies to Broadcasters other than the single, agreed pool TV camera.

Press Association and Parliament’s in-house photographer will provide pool stills coverage in the Black and White Corridor and Chamber. The in-house images will be sent via the wires service to all national news organisations. Local papers are also invited to make use of this service free of charge. Contact Adam Elder for details 0131 348 5878.

For further information the media contact is:

Eric MacLeod: 0131 348 5605
email: eric.macleod@scottish.parliament.uk

For public information enquiries, contact: 0131 34 85000

For general enquiries, contact: 0845 278 1999 (local call rate)
email: sp.info@scottish.parliament.uk
Visit our website at: www.scottish.parliament.uk