Some of parliament's oldest traditions should be swept aside to give the public a warmer welcome to the Palace of Westminster, a committee of MPs has said.

Visitors to parliament should be treated with more respect, according to the modernisation select committee.

Among the measures proposed was that the practice of referring to visitors as "strangers" should be scrapped.

There was also a call for more "outreach" work to be done in schools, and backing for better explanations to be provided on the work of committees.

The MPs agreed that the Commons often gives the impression of being run as a "private club".

Commons leader Peter Hain, who chairs the committee, said politicians should also "think about the way we treat visitors when they are here".

"We need to make this place a little less alien and a little more welcoming to the general public," he said.

The report comes amid the debate over tougher security measures in Westminster following the recent attack on Tony Blair during a session of prime minister's questions.

Some MPs have expressed concern that tightening security could cut politicians off from the public they serve.

But one picture emerging from the report is that parliament can become more open and accessible while enhancing security measures at the same time.

For example, enhanced reception areas could speed entry while improving screening of visitors.

Declan McHugh of the Hansard Society's parliament and government programme said the report was "a blueprint for making Westminster more welcoming and visitor-friendly".

But he cautioned that it would not put an end to the "overt partisanship" that alienates the public from parliament.

"The proposals put forward by the modernisation committee are a useful starting point for making parliament more accessible to the public and for building greater awareness about the role that MPs play," said McHugh.

"But they do not amount to a solution to the problem of political disengagement. That requires a more deep-rooted change in the political culture, and one that only parliamentarians can affect."

Revolution

Calling for a series of ancient traditions to be scrapped, the report said that people other than MPs should now be allowed to sit down on the green benches of the Commons chamber.

This would open up the prospect of students or members of the UK Youth Parliament holding debates on the chamber.

There should also be improved signposting in the parliamentary estate to help visitors find their way around.

And a new visitor centre should provide an "interesting and friendly" welcome while improving the public's understanding of parliament.

This should be accompanied by a sign saying "Welcome to the Houses of Parliament", said the MPs.

Hansard, the record of parliamentary debates, should be posted online at the same time as it is sent to the printers for production on paper, said the report.

And in a radical departure, it also recommended that journalists should be allowed to take laptop computers into the press gallery.

To improve relations with the media, there should be "greater coordination" of the Commons' media and communications resources.

There was also a call for greater use to be made of the internet, with online consultations and an improved parliamentary website.

Despite the drive for modernity, however, the modernisation committee's report was not available via email when it was released to the media on Tuesday.