Angela Constance made apology to child abuse expert Alexis Jay in private phone call

Justice secretary Angela Constance apologised to child abuse expert Professor Alexis Jay in a private phone call, MSPs have heard.

Constance, who yesterday survived a vote of no confidence in the Scottish Parliament, said she had given a “personal and direct” apology to Jay after quoting her out of context in a chamber debate.

The SNP MSP cited Jay’s words in September, saying she did not support further inquiries into child sexual abuse – something the Scottish Government has been under pressure to institute.

However, in a written message to Constance, Jay said that her comment was made in relation to England and Wales, not Scotland.

Appearing before MSPs today, Jay – who led work into grooming gangs in England and Wales – said she had not looked for an apology.

However, she said Constance had “apologised for [her] name being bandied around in parliament”.

Jay was called to give evidence to the Education, Children and Young People Committee in light of the row.

Constance appeared after the professor, who spoke via video link, and said she would “certainly look” at the possibility of correcting the official parliamentary record “as quickly as possible”.

The minister said she had not done so earlier because she had been “very clear” about what she “did not say”.

On whether she regretted using the quotation, Constance said her wording was “accurate”, but added: “Could I have expressed myself differently? I’m quite sure I could have.”

The apology to Jay was made in a private call with no Scottish Government official present. Constance wrote up a note of the call’s contents, saying she was conscious that “everything needs to be on the record”.

However, convener Douglas Ross said that may constitute a breach of the ministerial code of conduct, which states that an official should be present when government business is being carried out.

Constance said the call was a “one-off” and she did not think it was worthy of an investigation.

Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie said: “The point that the convener has made about the call that you made with Alexis Jay, I think it's clear from your reaction to the convener that you knew that was a mistake – that you should have had an official on. There seems to be just a series of mistakes that are occurring throughout this episode, and that's why people there's confidence in you has been shaken through this process. Do you understand that?”

Constance replied: “I am always very respectful of other people's views, Mr Rennie, and I try my best to understand things from the perspective of others, not least victims and witnesses.”

The session heard that some families had called for Constance to lose her job.

She said: “It grieves me if I have done or said anything that causes distress to anyone, not least victims.”

Jay said she had been offered either a letter from the minister addressing her concerns, or their inclusion in the minutes of the of the national strategic group on child sexual exploitation, with which she is involved. She chose the second option because she thought that would be “more accessible” for people and could emerge through Freedom of Information requests, which was ultimately the case.

Constance has faced criticism for being absent from parliament at times when MSPs have asked about the matter.

She said she would have “owned it” had she not been absent on government business on one occasion, and that responsibility for answering questions had fallen to colleagues on other occasions because the way they had been asked meant they were directed to others.

Conservative MSP Miles Briggs asked Constance, who worked as a social worker, if she upheld the values of that profession through this episode.

She answered: “Have I been flawless? Have I had cause to reflect with the benefit of hindsight? Yes, but over the course of the decade I had as a social worker and my time as a parliamentarian, I've never shied from discussing or confronting some of the most difficult topics and issues in our society.”