Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 02 September 2020
I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of his statement.
Conservative members will fully support measures that protect and enhance the rights of children and young people that are set out in domestic legislation and international conventions. I commend the efforts of members and others outwith Parliament who have been faithful to their promise to bring the matter to Parliament.
We will work with the Scottish Government on the bill, and we will scrutinise and improve it where we can, and will ensure that the consultation is wide and respectful. There is no doubt that myriad technical and legal questions will arise from the bill—not least on how it will work alongside the UK Human Rights Act 1998, which transposes the European convention on human rights into UK law.
My question for the cabinet secretary is largely technical. What assessment has the Government made, in advance of publication of the bill, of any interactions, interplay or potential conflicts between the rights that are set out in the bill and those that are in any other relevant UK legislation and in the European and United Nations conventions? What assessment has been made of areas where there are divisions between devolved and reserved matters, and of potential conflicts between those areas and the complex hierarchy and interactions between the multiple conventions and pieces of legislation? What firm mechanisms will be put in place to ensure that any conflicts that arise will be dealt with fairly, so that any future bills that are passed by the Scottish Parliament do not spend endless months in the courts, which would serve no one?