SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT staff are being advised not to use terms such as "lady" and "pensioner" in case they cause offence to the public.

Holyrood bosses have drawn up a hit-list of bad words as part of an equality course for employees.

The training is costing the public nearly £150,000 and has been blasted as "a complete waste of money" by MSP Margo MacDonald.

The parliament's 500 staff are entitled to a range of in-job perks such as foreign language courses, childcare vouchers and interest-free loans.

They must also match up to the parliament's inclusive ethos by undergoing courses on "dignity at work" and "equality and diversity".

The latter course includes briefing staff on equalities legislation, but also provides a list of "possibly offensive" terms that they should think twice about using.

Included on the hitlist are racist terms such as "coloured", "half-caste" and "Paki", as well as the homophobic slurs "queer" and "bent". The words "jock" and "chav" also make it on to the list, as do "spastic", "mad" and "cripple".

However, such seemingly innocuous words as "lady", "pensioner" and "girl" have also been grouped as possibly offensive.

In addition, "West Indian" and "asylum seeker" have been flagged up as potentially discriminatory.

The "bespoke equal opportunity training" is provided by Challenge Consultancy, a London-based company. Parliament officials signed a contract with the firm in 2005, a deal that is expected to cost the taxpayer £144,000 and expire next year.

The Sunday Herald last week revealed how the parliament has recorded an increase in staff bullying at Holyrood despite pouring money into "dignity at work" courses.

More than 12% of Holyrood employees have complained about bullying or harassment over the past year, according to a staff audit report, up 2% from 2005.

Lothians MSP Margo MacDonald said of the scheme: "This sounds like a complete waste of money. It is well-intentioned but still money down the drain. It is ludicrous to mix up terms of abuse with words in common usage."

Tory MSP and shadow justice secretary Bill Aitken said: "Imagine spending £144,000 on this. Clearly some words are offensive, but how on earth could anybody be offended by being called a girl or a lady? Are these people actually trying to create stress and division in society?"

A Scottish parliament spokeswoman said: "The training offered is about ensuring that language used by staff within a professional environment is respectful and inclusive. It is not about issuing staff with a script but ensuring that staff are aware of the impact that their words may have on others.

"Language plays a vital role in the fair treatment of people. The equalities and diversity training does not issue staff with a script. Within the session, staff are asked to discuss the impact certain words can have on people when used in a professional setting. For example, referring to a female child as a girl can be acceptable, while referring to a female colleague as a girl can be patronising."