The Scottish health secretary’s demand for an investigation of claims that a nursery discriminated against his daughter has been backed by opposition leaders.
Humza Yousaf contacted the national care watchdog and is taking legal advice after the Little Scholars Nursery, Broughty Ferry, Dundee, said there were no places available for two-year-old Amal.
Yousaf, 36, said that his wife Nadia had emailed the privately run childcare centre in May, asking if there were any available places. The couple allege they approached the nursery twice, only to be told there was no room. Two days later the nursery told a white friend of the Yousafs that places were available three afternoons a week for her two-year-old son.
The Daily Record made inquiries using fake names. A request made under the name Aqsa Akhar for three-year-old Amira was rejected. But an application made by a Susan Blake for three-year-old Sophie, was successful.
“We are fooling ourselves if we believe discrimination doesn’t exist in Scotland. I believe evidence we have proves our case beyond doubt,” Yousaf said. “As well as reporting the nursery to the Care Inspectorate we are also seeking legal advice.”
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Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservative leader, said: “This is an awful situation and no family or child should suffer discrimination because of their name or background. This should be investigated and stamped out.”
Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, said: “Solidarity with Humza and Nadia. Profiling based on names happens every day. In this case an application for nursery. In others for a job.”
Alex Cole-Hamilton, the frontrunner to become the new leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said: “This is depressing on many levels. This demands investigation.”
A spokesman for the nursery owners, who are of Asian heritage, insisted they were “extremely proud of being open and inclusive to all” insisting that “any claim to the contrary is demonstrably false and an accusation that we would refute in the strongest possible terms”.
They added: “Across more than a decade we have regularly welcomed both children and staff from a range of different religious, cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds.
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“We have also regularly made arrangements to accommodate different lifestyles by, for example, providing a halal menu for those children who come from Muslim families.”
Yousaf said that contacting the watchdog with their concerns was “not a step my wife and I have taken lightly”.
He tweeted: “It doesn’t matter what my position or how senior in government I may be, some will always see me, my wife and children by our ethnicity or religion first. With no explanation from Little Scholars, we will pursue the truth and get answers we deserve.”