Speeches by Jardine.

“You are all agreed that what we need in the first instance is a trial.”

“If economic growth in Scotland is to succeed, our world-class universities—the knowledge, the skills and the jobs they provide—will be absolutely vital. Last week, Edinburgh University announced that it faced a £140 million deficit, which is projected to be the largest in the UK. That is hugely concerning for my consti…”

“Reconstructive surgery has been mentioned several times. How successful is it in terms of the physical and mental wellbeing of the women who have reconstructive surgery compared with those who do not?”

“On that point, is there specific support, or medical and health services, that you feel should be provided for women and girls with FGM?”

“Are there any other significant health problems that you may have come across?”

“Would it be fair to say that there is a difference of opinion, or there are two different streams of thought? One is that there is evidence there to show that reconstructive surgery is hugely beneficial, and therefore it should be widely available in this country, and presumably it should be available as a service on t…”

“I am grateful to the shadow Home Secretary for raising these appalling incidents. I also thank him on behalf of my hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mr Reynolds), whose constituents have been affected and have received some of these letters. For me, these incidents are a reminder of the pernicious threat we all fa…”

“I thank the Minister for giving me advance sight of his statement. The Liberal Democrats of course welcome the steps he has outlined and recognise the existential threat that Iran now poses not only to Israel but to western democracies, including here in the UK. Last year, the head of MI5, Ken McCallum, laid bare this …”

“It is a delight to follow the hon. Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire North (Alison Taylor). In the almost eight years that I have been here, I do not think I have ever looked forward to a debate this much, or taken this much pleasure from one, not just because there is no real party divide to worry about, but because…”

“It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Vickers, and to follow the hon. Member for Ealing Central and Acton (Dr Huq). I feel as if the speakers so far have been talking about me, because they have been talking about parents who are not rich but who send their children to independent schools. I no longer hav…”

“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…”

“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…”

“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…”

“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 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…”

“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…”

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

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

“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…”