Christian Allard: Will the cabinet secretary outline what benefits she believes the V&A will bring to Dundee, the north-east and, more generally, Scotland?
Christian Allard: Fatal accidents and sudden deaths are unforeseen tragedies. It is hard to comprehend how families and friends can deal with the aftermath of such tragedies. I have an insight into what they go through, as I lost a loved one who was aged only 33. We had to wait for the autopsy and for an investigation to take place before I could start to organise the funeral arrangements. That is an ordeal...
Christian Allard: I was also at the Offshore Europe conference last week. I am happy to report that there are a lot of new things happening in the industry. Does the minister agree that the oil and gas workforce is very much getting younger, that a lot more women are now in senior positions and that everyone at Offshore Europe was becoming confident that the industry will come out of its present challenges...
Christian Allard: Will John Lamont give way?
Christian Allard: Like all members who have contributed to the debate—bar one—I say that it is very important that we do not limit the number of refugees to 20,000. That number should be a starting point, and there certainly should not be an end after four or five years. I ask members to take particular notice of the language that surrounds the subject. Christina McKelvie talked about that. I read the...
Christian Allard: Word choice matters. It is very important that we keep that in mind in this debate. Interchanging the terms “migrant” and “refugee” is not helping. For anyone still asking the question, “Refugee or migrant—which is right?”, here is the answer from the people who know. The UN refugee agency, which assesses refugees across the world, says: “Refugees are persons fleeing armed...
Christian Allard: I add my thanks to Christina McKelvie for bringing this debate to the chamber. It is very important and, as John Finnie just said, it is timely. Perhaps Margaret Mitchell does not know this, but the Tory plan to scrap the Human Rights Act was confirmed in Parliament today. The consultation will come forward from the Conservative justice minister, Mr Raab, who said at Westminster that the bill...
Christian Allard: I thank the cabinet secretary for his statement and I agree that the fundamentals of our policing remain sound, as does the new structure. On accountability, does the cabinet secretary agree that chief constables have stepped down in the past, before the creation of Police Scotland, and that the solution is not to change the structure, as has been proved south of the border, where South...
Christian Allard: It is a bit difficult to follow Gavin Brown because, after the committee convener’s opening speech, I had thought that we were going to have a very consensual debate in which we acknowledge that the Parliament and its committees work very well, even aided by a member of the Opposition, and the Government responds with a reassignment of funding. On the back of today’s debate, I would like...
Christian Allard: We need to give the industry time to flourish to make sure that we produce programmes in the future that are as good as possible.
Christian Allard: Does the minister agree that workforce levels in mental health services are at record levels in Scotland, with the child and adolescent mental health services workforce having risen by 45 per cent since 2008? Does he agree that the Scottish Government commitment to invest £100 million of funding to improve mental health services in the next five years is very welcome in the north-east and...
Christian Allard: Will the member take an intervention?
Christian Allard: Will the member give way?
Christian Allard: Will the member take an intervention?
Christian Allard: It is important to understand what the academics told the committee. They said that cold release is the problem. A vast amount of cold release is happening. The cabinet secretary will ensure that there will be no more cold release, with a mandatory six-month period of support. Stopping cold release will ensure public safety.
Christian Allard: Will the member give way?
Christian Allard: 4. To ask the Scottish Government whether it has been invited by the United Kingdom Government to discuss its negotiation proposals regarding European Union reform. (S4O-04461)
Christian Allard: I thank the minister for his answer, but can he give us some reassurance that the Scottish Government will make representations to ensure that the needs and priorities of our fishing industry are not forgotten by the UK Government during the EU renegotiation? We all remember how we were sold down the river during previous European negotiations when a Westminster Government official said that...
Christian Allard: I thank the member for taking an intervention. Yes, Britain is an outward-looking country—or it was. The European Union Referendum Bill does not say that I am allowed to vote. Mind you, perhaps the competence of the Prime Minister will have to be called into question, because in clause 2(1)(a), the bill refers to “the persons who, on the date of the referendum, would be entitled to vote...
Christian Allard: Does that mean that I am allowed to vote in the referendum because I am allowed to vote in a parliamentary election in constituencies in Scotland?