General Assembly Hall of The Church of Scotland - Use By The Scottish Parliament

Use By The Scottish Parliament

Until 1999, the Assembly Hall was hardly used other than for meeting of the General Assembly and performances during the Edinburgh International Festival.

The Scottish Constitutional Convention met in the Assembly Hall on 30 March 1989, at which the "Claim of Right for Scotland", a call for the creation of a Scottish Parliament, was signed by 58 out of 72 Scottish Members of Parliament. It was organised by the Campaign for a Scottish Assembly.

Between 1999 and 2004 the Assembly Hall was used as the temporary debating chamber of the Scottish Parliament. The old (and uncomfortable) dark green leather bench seating was removed. Temporary (and removable) desks and seating were installed and the Hall was carpeted. The Church of Scotland used the Edinburgh International Conference Centre for the General Assembly in 1999 and the Usher Hall in 2001. In other years the Parliament had to vacate the Assembly Hall for the Church.

The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament had an office within the Assembly Hall buildings; all other parliamentary offices were located in the former Midlothian County Buildings or the former Lothian Regional Council offices (since demolished), both located on George IV Bridge.

Following the completion of the new Scottish Parliament Building at Holyrood in October 2004, the Assembly Hall was refurbished with new theatre-type upholstered seating. The Church of Scotland's Board of Practice and Procedure set up an Assembly Hall Development Group to consider how the building could be more widely used in future. The Assembly Hall is now regularly used for conferences and performances, as well as for the General Assembly every May.