Speeches by Jardine.

“I represent a different part of Edinburgh, where one in four or five pupils goes to independent school. I have already received representations from parents who have had to take their children out of their schools and are concerned about where they can be placed in the city, given that the Labour council has already sa…”

“I agree with the hon. Lady that the state of the education system in Scotland is appalling, and the blame lies squarely with the SNP, but how does she think the state sector will be helped to recover by putting extra pressure on it through forcing parents to move their children to places that do not exist?”

“I accept that point and absolutely agree. It reminds me of the point that for a lot of parents, their children are in independent schools because they were struggling in the state sector. They moved their children into the independent sector, where they are thriving. Rightly or wrongly, that was the parents’ choice, an…”

“Like the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John Lamont), I would like to see the evidence that half of the people in Edinburgh voted for this policy. I have to tell the hon. Member for Edinburgh South West (Dr Arthur) that there are 311 signatories to this petition from his constituency. More than hal…”

“Yes, I am aware of that analysis, and it does not show a healthier figure. The point that I was making in saying that it was conducted before the policy’s introduction is that the instant this Government came out with the policy, the Labour council went back and redid the figures. [Interruption.] No, I did not say that…”

“6. If the commissioners will have discussions with their counterparts in the Church of Scotland on support for places of worship with declining congregations.”

“Scotland’s Churches Trust estimates that the Church of Scotland could lose 30% of its churches in the coming years. St Andrew’s in Clermiston in my constituency could be one of them. It celebrated its 70th anniversary this year, but could face closure because of declining congregations and lower incomes. That threatens…”

“Dr Mitchell, do you want to add anything?”

“Would anybody else like to add anything to that?”

“Should the reform of shared parental leave be considered alongside the reform of paternity leave in the Government’s proposed review?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. I do not intend to say much, but it is important to have it on the record that the Liberal Democrats support the draft order, too. There should be no obstacle so great that we do not try to overcome it in protecting our children and vulnerable groups. This…”

“Abby Jitendra, can you see the same reflection in the wider issues, like gender pay gap and equality?”

“It seems a lifetime ago now—it was actually 2015, during the general election campaign—but I remember being asked by a journalist, “But what difference does it make in terms of equality?” And I said, “Well, and this might be controversial, if you are interviewing for a job and you see a woman, you’re going to think abo…”

“That actually reflects something I felt at the time of maternity leave. Once we had finished, my husband and I, because of our careers, were able to arrange flexibility so that he could be there in the first half of the day, and I could be there in the second half. That was very reassuring. What you say about leaving t…”

“Thank you. What would others like to add?”

“Dr Forbes, at what level of take-up do you think SPL would start to have a substantial impact, including on other areas like the pay gap and wider gender equality?”

“Thank you very much. Thank you all for coming along. Dr Forbes, most witnesses point to the very low take-up of shared parental leave, and some describe it as a failed policy. What would our parental leave system lose if we did not have shared parental leave?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Hobhouse. I intend to speak very briefly because, although I do not disagree with some of the comments made by the hon. Member for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, it was agreed some time ago that this order should happen. While we may have reservations about how …”

“I thank the Paymaster General not only for his statement, but for the clarity and commitment in his answers. As he may remember from previous occasions in the Chamber, I have the personal experience of having lost a very close family friend in the 1990s who was a victim of this. His widow died without compensation, and…”

“It is a pleasure and an honour to follow the hon. Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen). I concur with everything she said about the work being done by the Women and Equalities Committee. It is important to recognise where we stand in history, because when we talk about LGBTQ rights, women’s rights or racial equality in …”