The Scottish Parliament today published its annual report detailing the work of the Parliament from 9 May 2007 to 8 May 2008.

The year saw the 1.5 millionth visitor to the Parliament, as well as visits from over 100 delegations from all over the world. The year also saw three Government bills, introduced since 9 May 2007, complete their parliamentary passage and become Acts of the Scottish Parliament: the Abolition of Bridge Tolls (Scotland) Act 2008, the Graduate Endowment Abolition (Scotland) Act 2008, and the Budget (Scotland) Act 2008.

The annual report also highlights the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body's approval of a five year Gaelic Language Plan under the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005, the development of a temporary exhibition to mark the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union 1707 that featured the original Acts and Articles of Union, and the cross-party delegation - led by the Presiding Officer – that visited North America for Scotland Week 2008, marking the 10th anniversary of the US Senate's Tartan Day Resolution, which honours the many shared connections between Scotland and America

Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson said: “This has been another busy year for the Parliament. We continue to welcome visitors from all over the world and our educational programme has reached nearly 12,000 young people and teachers.

“We have held our third Festival of Politics - the first regular event of its kind in the world. And we continue to develop new ways of engaging our public. This year we have tested initiatives such as a text messaging service, podcasts and our own YouTube page.”

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