Education, Culture and Sport Committee, 03 Sep 2002
Meeting date: Tuesday, September 3, 2002
Official Report
131KB pdf
Protection of Children
Item 2 on the agenda is the proposed bill on the protection of children. Members will be aware that the Education, Culture and Sport Committee will be the lead committee for the proposed bill when it is introduced to Parliament. Members have in front of them a paper that suggests areas of written evidence, witnesses and a timetable. Members will obviously be aware that the importance of the bill has been highlighted somewhat by the recent tragic events south of the border. There is considerable public concern that we should get this right. We need to look at the issue objectively and sensibly and to ensure that whatever we do is done to protect children and their interests while also protecting the rights of the individual.
I ask members to turn to the papers. It has been our procedure previously as soon as a bill is introduced to seek written evidence. The quicker we can do that the quicker we can get information in from parties which will be of interest to the committee. Members have a list of people whom we would seek to invite. It would be useful for the committee to get information from the Criminal Records Bureau and from the Department of Health—which includes the social services and the public safety agencies that hold the list for Northern Ireland—on how they operate and on any potential loopholes that they are aware of, or any difficulties that they have experienced in the operation of the lists, to see whether we can learn any lessons.
The General Teaching Council for Scotland, the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council are the bodies that are responsible for the registration of professionals who would be impacted on directly by the proposed bill. The Scout Association, Girlguiding UK and the Boys Brigade are in the initial trawl because obviously the voluntary sector and the uniformed organisations in particular will have had some experience of some of the issues and also of dealing with Scottish Criminal Record Office checks. Therefore, it would be useful to get some information from them about how they think we can best proceed on the issue. If members are content that we send those specific letters and that we also make a general call for written evidence, we can accept that part of the paper.
I am broadly content with that. That matter will clearly have to be handled as you indicated, not only objectively but transparently, so that all the voices are heard. My only concern is that the oral evidence section of the paper refers to
"other parents groups as appropriate",
because we are all aware of groups of parents and other campaigns that exist justifiably and which are supported by strong public concern. It should be made absolutely clear that we will consider hearing from such groups before we even draw up the final list for oral evidence, should they come to us with written evidence to explain why they should be heard. I know that there is an outline idea that we should have a longer meeting and perhaps a big public meeting furth of Edinburgh one evening. That would be an appropriate opportunity for hearing from such groups.
Mike Russell is absolutely right. The reason why we did not specify any group is that we do not want people to feel that they must come or that they cannot come. It will be useful for people to know that they are welcome to make representations to the committee either in writing or orally. It is our intention to have a full committee meeting outside Edinburgh one evening to allow the greatest possible access to the committee to those who wish to give evidence. The paper's list of suggestions is by no means a closed one. We would certainly wish to look again at the list and add to it if necessary. I am sure that members will be happy to do that and to make time available to scrutinise the bill thoroughly in the public interest.
Would the list of those who might give oral evidence also be invited to give written evidence that might help to inform our cross-examination of them?
Our practice is to write to everyone from whom we would request oral evidence so that we have an indication of areas around which those people have concerns or comments, so that we can take that forward.
If members have no other comments we will move on. The clerk can now proceed as and when the bill is introduced.