A date has been set for the opening of the new Scottish parliament building.

On Thursday, presiding officer George Reid announced that the Queen would open the Holyrood building with what he described as "quiet Scottish dignity".

The overall ceremony will cost £210,000, half the original amount estimated.  There had been concerns that costs of the ceremony would escalate considerably, fuelling anger at the parliament's overall cost. 

Despite original estimates of £40 million, the price has risen to £431 million so far.

The proceedings will begin with a morning meeting in the Old Parliament Hall, followed by a procession down the Royal Mile and a formal opening of the chamber.

Only ten per cent of participants in the procession will be members of the Scottish parliament - each MSP will be given the opportunity to nominate a person from their constituency who has done the most for the public good.

"In my evidence to the Fraser Inquiry [examining the Holyrood costs] I apologised for the shadow which Holyrood, with all its attendant costs and delays, has cast over Scotland," said Reid.

"I want today to thank those who have stayed resolutely focused and who have kept up the intense pressure to occupy the building in September.  Before we can get on, we have to get in.

"The opening on October 9 marks a new beginning - an opportunity for all of us to concentrate on why they are here:  not to build a building, but to build a better Scotland."