By Shirley English

Ministers have been warned that the 8ft barricade during the G8 summit may attract troublemakers

PLANS to erect a steel security fence around the Scottish Parliament and Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh will act as a magnet for agitators during this summer's G8 summit, MSPs said yesterday.

Police intend to build an 8ft-high barricade around the Parliament and the Queen's official Scottish residence as a precaution against protesters.

World leaders are due to meet at Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire from July 6-8 where an anti-globalisation protest involving about 50,000 people is expected to mark the opening day of talks.Other demonstrations are planned in the run up, including a Make Poverty History march through Edinburgh on July 2, expected to attract around 200,000 people.

Opposition politicians said that a balance had to be struck between security needs and the right to protest. Nicola Sturgeon, deputy leader of the Scottish Nationalists, said: «I'm not sure whether a steel fence is really required. It may in fact just act as a magnet for protesters.»

The Tory MSP Brian Monteith questioned why the £431 million Parliament building was not sufficiently secure. Bomb-proofing and the installation of shatter-proof windows added to costs and the three-year delay in its completion. «I do rather wonder, after spending all the money on the Scottish Parliament, what we have in the way of a building which needs another fence to defend it,» he said. «I do share a concern that the fence could itself act as a magnet for a Parliament which will not be sitting when the G8 summit will be sitting.»

It is understood that the fence, which is expected to cost tens of thousands of pounds, is not a response to any specific threat. But the Queen will no longer be staying at Holyroodhouse during the summit and is said to have cancelled this year's garden party because it clashed with the G8.

Britain holds the G8 presidency and Tony Blair will play host at Gleneagles to George Bush, the US President, and Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, as well the heads of the French, German, Japanese, Italian and Canadian governments. Mr Blair and Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, have already voiced support for the Make Poverty History campaign, whose demands include trade justice, debt cancellation and more aid for the world's poorest countries.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that extra equipment had been ordered for police who will guard the summit amid reports that some officers were unhappy at having to share fire-resistant underpants. Up to 1,250 officers are being trained on public order tactics designed to quell violent protests. An MoD spokesman said: «Officers currently have to share some equipment, which is normal practice during training. But extra equipment, including fire-proof clothing, has been ordered.»