Site sought for Scottish parliament

Scotland's new parliament will never sit in the building which has been awaiting its inception for decades, ministers are expected to announce this week. The Royal High School on Calton Hill in Edinburgh is thought to be unsuitable because it lacks office space and debating chamber, and it was reported yesterday that civil servants had been asked to look for alternative venues.

Other possible venues include Edinburgh council's city chambers or even a new building in the city. Another site which has been mentioned is the Donaldson's School for the Deaf, near Murrayfield. The Royal High School was built in the 1820s, but was adapted in the 1970s to house the assembly planned by the last Labour government. Edinburgh Council bought it to preserve it for a future parliament and continues to maintain it. Fran Abrams