Chamber and committees

It is not good enough to come to Parliament to demand the expansion of provision in our schools and not be prepared to put the money in to do so. That is the challenge that Monica Lennon faces.

The CAMHS targets are being met, and the Government has taken steps to ensure that all such decisions are made on a clinical basis by those who are empowered to take those decisions. That is the basis on which such assessments should be made, which ensures that the needs of children are met appropriately in our public services and education system.

As I have said on a number of occasions to the Parliament, Angela Constance was making a general observation, drawing on the remarks of Professor Alexis Jay, back in September. Having looked at the issue and at all the material, I am content that there has been no breach of the ministerial code.

I am satisfied with the steps that have been taken to deal with the matter.

The Government takes many steps, through a number of our activities, to support community cohesion. Indeed, over the period around St Andrew’s day, we took forward a campaign on the theme that, together, “We are Scotland”. The purpose of the campaign was to encourage and promote a sense of community cohesion. We take that work forward through dialogue directly with the Jewish community in Scotland. I have had a series of meetings with the Jewish community, as have ministers and officials, to encourage and nurture the inclusion and cohesion that must be at the heart of a safe society for all. The particular elements of project funding that Rona Mackay referred to are all taken forward with the objective of encouraging cohesion among our communities in Scotland, because that represents the fundamental approach that the Government takes to encouraging that sentiment in our society.

I pay tribute to Jackson Carlaw for the force with which he expresses the thoughts and aspirations of the community that he has faithfully represented in this Parliament and for the sentiments that he has shared with us from Wentworth. It is powerful testimony that Parliament has to hear and take account of.

I am very familiar with the circumstances at Calderwood Lodge primary school, and I have been looking closely at some of the issues in relation to the security and safety of the school. Our schools have to be safe places in all circumstances, and that must apply to Calderwood Lodge primary school. I am aware of some issues around security, which I am personally addressing. I give Mr Carlaw the assurance that the issue is very much on my desk, that I am looking at it personally and that I will be taking steps to address those issues.

I discussed the security of the Jewish community, and of places of worship and education, with the chief constable yesterday. I was assured last night by members of the Jewish community that, sadly, in the aftermath of the Manchester attack and again, sadly, in the aftermath of the Bondi beach attack, Police Scotland, which already has very strong connections with the Jewish community, increased that engagement as a consequence, as I would have expected to be the case.

Specifically in relation to Calderwood Lodge primary school, I assure Mr Carlaw of my direct personal attention in relation to that question. We may well have more to say about that in due course.

It is absolutely vital that, in all our actions, we do all that we can to reject hatred, discrimination and prejudice in our society. This is a particularly concerning and alarming time for the Jewish community in Scotland. I have heard at first hand—not just last night, at the city chambers in Edinburgh, but on other occasions when I have met with members of the community—about the profound fear and alarm that is felt by members of the community in Scotland. Steps have been taken, and will continue to be taken, to support the community’s safety. However, in a democracy, no individual should fear for their safety. Individuals should be able to live their lives free from prejudice and hatred, and in safety. That will be the outlook and the approach taken by the Scottish Government to support the Jewish community, as we support all communities in Scotland.

I acknowledge that members of Parliament and members of the public will draw different conclusions from the words that we all use. [Interruption.]

I am grateful to Mr O’Kane for his remarks. I very much associate myself with his comment that Calderwood Lodge primary school is a symbol of hope in a world that has an awful lot of darkness about it just now.

In relation to the forthcoming holiday period, those are some of the issues that we are considering, to make sure that Calderwood Lodge primary school is properly supported at all times. However, Mr O’Kane raises a reasonable and important point about the holiday period that is coming up, and, of course, the engagement and presence of Police Scotland are important in that respect. I assure him, as I assured Mr Carlaw, that the issue is getting my personal attention at the present moment and that I will take forward the issues that he has put to me.

Mr Cole-Hamilton puts to me the extraordinary example of Mr al-Ahmed and the heroism that he deployed to save lives. It is an example of light among all the darkness as a result of the service and the sacrifice that individuals are prepared to undertake.

As I set out in my earlier answers, the Scottish Government actively works to support interfaith dialogue and community cohesion in Scotland. Some of the materials for the St Andrew’s day campaign that I talked about were designed to have the exact purpose of bringing communities together, reflecting our diversity but also our togetherness as a consequence.

The Government has been closely involved in—and I have taken a personal interest and been involved in—the Drumlanrig accords, which have been supported to encourage greater dialogue between the Muslim and Jewish communities. Those accords are now viewed around the world as seminal agreements that are about bringing faiths together and promoting the understanding and tolerance that are necessary in our society, and I give Mr Cole-Hamilton an assurance that the Government will sustain its interest and attention in that work.