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VISITORS to the Scottish Parliament could be asked to take do-it-yourself tours of the building to save money on professional guides.
Holyrood bosses are to consider introducing individual hand-held audio guides as an "efficiency" measure to help reduce the £91,000-a-year subsidy currently spent on guided tours.
The idea was proposed in a report from the outgoing members of the cross-party Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body to their successors. But today MSPs said replacing guides with tapes would make the tours too impersonal and make it more difficult for people to ask questions. Independent Lothians MSP Margo MacDonald said: "The personal touch is important. If you go down the electronic way of doing things there is no real personalised or customised information for individuals or groups."
Edinburgh West Liberal Democrat MSP Margaret Smith, who once worked as a tour guide, said some visitors might opt for an audio guide, but most people preferred to have someone they could ask questions.
"It would be unfortunate if we were to lose the human element," she said. "As well as the cost, we need to look at value for money and the service people are getting."
There was an outcry when the parliament's bosses first announced that they planned to charge £3.50 for tours of the new building. Critics said the public had already paid over £400m for Holyrood and should not have to pay again to see round it.
The price went up to £5 in October last year at the same time as the tours were increased from 45 minutes to an hour and the maximum size of groups cut from 25 to 20.
The parliament's contract with the Scottish Tour Guides Association cost £197,000 in 2006-07 for professional guides, but the income from tours was just £106,000.
The "legacy paper" left by the previous corporate body highlights the costs involved in the current arrangements of tours.
It says: "In the longer term, there may be efficiencies to be made in the way we deliver tours of the building.
"This could include consideration of the use of audio/visual handheld guides which would allow for groups to be escorted by a junior member of staff, whose role would mainly be to keep the group together and see them move through the tour route.
Tory MSP Alex Johnstone, who is in charge of building services, said he planned to have meetings with officials over the summer to discuss these and other issues.
"Ways need to be found of minimising the cost to the taxpayer for a range of services in and around the building," he said.
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Last updated: 05-Jul-07 12:06 BST
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Want to read yourself in print? Every day the Evening News publishes a selection of online comments on the letters page of the paper. Pick up a copy to see if your views have been published.
1. Kevin Edinburgh / 12:23pm 5 Jul 2007I could recommend a virtual tour; surely a combination of options and perhaps a raising of charges is the answer.
http://www.go360edinburgh.co.uk/index.htm?nodeChoice=Scot... (Related)
Report as unsuitable (Related) 2. JulesF / 12:30pm 5 Jul 2007Why not have the MSPs not in comittees etc on the day do the tours. They get paid enough with the expenses they earn to do a few freebies ?
Report as unsuitable (Related) 3. proun , Edinburgh / 12:52pm 5 Jul 2007Like many tourist attractions why not offer audio as an option rather than replace guides. We offer great tours round the exterior, sadly many of our guests baulk at paying £5 to enter a national public building. More info at http://www.edinburgharchitecture.co.uk/scottish_parliamen... (Related)
Report as unsuitable (Related) 4. alex paterson , embra / 1:27pm 5 Jul 2007Not a good idea,Thats how a large percentage of the MSPs got there in the first place,They got lost and got a job.
Report as unsuitable (Related) 5. ImmutableName , of Toll-X / 2:31pm 5 Jul 2007I went on a paid tour about 2 years ago. It was awful. So can't say I'd be too worried about any change to the old system.
Report as unsuitable (Related) 6. Major General Puffin-Stuff / 2:40pm 5 Jul 2007#5 What was awful, old bean? The tour itself, or your attitude towards the building and/or institution?
Report as unsuitable (Related) 7. ImmutableName , of Toll-X / 3:16pm 5 Jul 2007I was refering to the quality of the tour guide's presentation.
Report as unsuitable (Related) 8. Major General Puffin-Stuff / 3:27pm 5 Jul 2007It is just 'fortunate' irony that the tour was as scatty and poorly thought through as the design of the building itself.
Art mirrors life mirrors art and all that.
Ah, just as I thought - your comment on the building gives you away. Your negative opinion of the building (probably formed before you got there - and NOTHING you heard on the tour was going to change YOUR mind, I bet!) reflected onto your opinion of your guide's commentary.
Art mirrors life mirrors art and all that.
Report as unsuitable (Related) 9. The Man Who Knows , Republic of Perth / 3:51pm 5 Jul 2007A strange decision.
Report as unsuitable (Related) 10. I'm no really here / 4:54pm 5 Jul 2007They tried getting rid of the guides as an experiment on Saturday when the Queen opened Parliament, and look what happened - she went in the wrong door!!.
Report as unsuitable (Related) 11. Mallory / 4:58pm 5 Jul 2007Well they don't need that expensive front desk either...
Report as unsuitable (Related) 12. Timothy Charles Wingate , Ottawa, Canada / 5:34pm 5 Jul 2007VERY funny #10 - I laughed and laughed and laughed and.....
Report as unsuitable (Related) 13. petrol head , Edinburgh / 5:37pm 5 Jul 2007They'll get lost.
Have you ever been in that place? There's not a right angle in the whole building! Does wonders for your sense of direction!
Report as unsuitable (Related) 14. Transparent? , Scotland / 6:11pm 5 Jul 2007#13.
I have been in the place for a meeting with an MSP and when asked if I knew my way out, my answer was "I haven't a clue!" and I was being honest.
So you're right about it destroying our orientation on a first visit.
Report as unsuitable (Related) 15. Major General Puffin-Stuff / 6:13pm 5 Jul 2007#13 Yes........isn't it wonderful?
"Leave symmetry to the cemetery".
Report as unsuitable (Related) 16. Andrew Allan / 6:14pm 5 Jul 2007Modern idea for a modern parliament, good idea.
Report as unsuitable (Related) 17. Andrew Allan / 6:15pm 5 Jul 2007petrol head., #13.
Report as unsuitable (Related) 18. Major General Puffin-Stuff / 6:39pm 5 Jul 2007Individuality will make it easier not to get lost.
Jolly well said!
Bit harder for Scottish Labour MSPs, though.
Report as unsuitable (Related) 19. Patrick O'Reilly , Coatie / 7:04pm 5 Jul 200714
Transparent, is that what the MSP said? Would make sense.
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