The
Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office (SCPO) was created in 1999, at the same time as the devolved
Scottish ParliamentThe Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood" , is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
was established. The office is an ecumenical one, including all the member churches of
Action of Churches Together in ScotlandAction of Churches Together in Scotland is a national ecumenical organisation of churches in Scotland, founded in 1990. It is the successor to the former Scottish Council of Churches...
plus some others.
The office represents the interests and concerns of the
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
churches to the Scottish Parliament, and also helps keep churches informed of developments in Parliament.
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The
Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office (SCPO) was created in 1999, at the same time as the devolved
Scottish ParliamentThe Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood" , is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
was established. The office is an ecumenical one, including all the member churches of
Action of Churches Together in ScotlandAction of Churches Together in Scotland is a national ecumenical organisation of churches in Scotland, founded in 1990. It is the successor to the former Scottish Council of Churches...
plus some others.
The office represents the interests and concerns of the
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
churches to the Scottish Parliament, and also helps keep churches informed of developments in Parliament. When first established the SCPO was based at St Columba's by the Castle Episcopal Church in
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the second largest Scottish city, after Glasgow, and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas....
. The SCPO is now based at The Netherbow (the
Scottish Storytelling CentreThe Scottish Storytelling Centre was formally opened on 1 June 2006 by Patricia Ferguson MSP, Minister for Culture in the Scottish Executive. It is the world's first purpose built modern centre for live storytelling....
) on
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the second largest Scottish city, after Glasgow, and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas....
's
Royal MileThe Royal Mile is the popular name for the succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland....
.
Many of the churches in
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
were strongly supportive of
devolutionDevolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a Sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level...
. Before the new
Scottish Parliament buildingThe Scottish Parliament Building is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Edinburgh. Construction of the building commenced in June 1999 and the Members of the Scottish Parliament held their first debate in the new building on Tuesday,...
at
HolyroodHolyrood is an anglicisation of the Scots haly ruid .The name Holyrood may refer to:-Scotland:* Holyrood, a metonym for the Scottish Parliament, or the Scottish Parliament Building * Holyrood, Edinburgh, one of the areas of Edinburgh , named after Holyrood...
was completed in 2004 the Scottish Parliament met in the General Assembly Hall of the
Church of ScotlandThe Church of Scotland , known informally by its Scots language name, The Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
.
The first Scottish Churches Parliamentary Officer (1999-2008) was the Revd Dr Graham Blount, who was formerly joint minister at Falkirk Old and St Modan's Parish Church. The present holder of the post (since 2009) is Ms Chloe Clemmons.