BIRTHDAY PARLY
The Queen and First Minister hail 20 years of Holyrood success
The Queen hailed the “remarkable” Scottish Parliament as she took part in an event to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Two decades after she of f icial ly opened the first elected assembly in Edinburgh, the Queen said it was still “at the centre of Scottish public life”.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told how legislation passed at Holy rood had “made Scotland a better place”.
The SNP leader said: “Although this parliament is only 20 years young, it has long come of age.”
She added :“This parliament is firmly established as the centre of this nation’s public life.”
The Queen, accompanied by Prince Charles, said she had “watched Scotland grow and prosper” over the last two decades.
Ahead of the Queen’s arrival, the Crown of Scotland was brought in a procession from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood, carried by the Duke of Hamilton and accompanied by the Pipes and Drums of the 1st Battalion of the Scots Guards.
Presiding Of f icer Ken Macintosh met the royal party, with the Queen then going on to greet Sturgeon and senior figures from the other political parties.
Current and former MSPs were present, along with some of the Scots who were born on July 1, 1999 – the day the Scottish Parliament was officially opened.
Macintosh said over the last 20 years Holyrood had “grown into a self-confident institution”. And he noted some of the parliament’s achievements, including “the smoking ban and the minimum pricing of alcohol, free personal care and the abolition of tuition fees, the removal of Section 28 and the introduction of equal marriage”.
Sturgeon said: “The 290 Acts this parliament has passed have varied in their impact. But from land reform in the f irst par l iament to equal marriage in the last, to the Social Security Act in this, they have all made Scotland a better place.”
Scottish Secretary David Mundell, who was one of the MSPs elected 20 years ago, watched proceedings from Holyrood’s gallery.
The MP said: “This is a really important day. I remember the sense of excitement people across Scotland shared at the opening of their new parliament.”