Scottish Parliament decamps to the Borders for day

THE Scottish Parliament has left the Capital to set up camp in the Borders – for one day only.

The inaugural Parliament Day was taking place in Hawick today, with MSPs making a number of visits to local schools and organisations.

Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick MSP said: “Hawick is a great place for us to begin our Parliament Day initiative.

“The Heart of Hawick will provide a stunning venue for many of our events and I hope the activities we have planned will encourage the people of Hawick to get involved and find out more about the work of the parliament. Parliament Day lets local people experience for themselves ‘a snapshot’ of the parliament’s work and activities. It lets people meet and question MSPs who make the laws and debate the issues that affect them.”

In a mock budget activity, school pupils will decide how much money to spend on areas such as health, education and justice and gain an understanding of thework of the parliament’s finance committee.

Committee convener Kenneth Gibson MSP said: “We are delighted to be part of the first ever Parliament Day. We believe it is important to involve the school pupils and people of Hawick in our scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s draft budget.”