Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 19 January 2021
19 Jan 2021 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I draw the debate to a close with a word of thanks to members of the Scottish Parliament across the political spectrum for their contributions to the debate and the support that has been expressed for the legislation that is before Parliament at stage 1. It is properly reflective of a landmark day when Parliament considers legislation of this magnitude.
That has been helped, of course, by the Equalities and Human Rights Committee’s scrutiny of the bill. I am grateful to the committee’s convener, Ruth Maguire, for her remarks about the bill and issues that arise from it. I will say a bit more about the commencement issues in a moment, but she specifically raised with me the issue of ensuring that children with protected characteristics are recognised in the bill. I fully support that objective, but the mechanism with which the Government has opted to take the issue forward is, in essence, that of incorporating article 2 of the UNCRC, which assumes that children’s rights are guaranteed without discrimination. That provides a universal protection for children and avoids the necessity for specific lists of protected characteristics. We will obviously reflect further on the convener’s points, and I am happy to engage further on that question, but that is the approach that we plan to take.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Lewis Macdonald)
Lab
The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-23883, in the name of John Swinney, on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorpor...
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills (John Swinney)
SNP
At a time when our country is wrestling with the difficulties and challenges resulting from Covid—the disruption to our lives and the burden and sense of los...
Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD)
LD
I congratulate the cabinet secretary on an excellent bill. Does he agree that in order to be world leaders in children’s rights, we need to have an age of cr...
John Swinney
SNP
The issues in relation to the age of criminal responsibility have been well rehearsed in Parliament and will continue to be debated as a consequence of the p...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
I call Ruth Maguire to speak on behalf of the Equalities and Human Rights Committee. 16:02
Ruth Maguire (Cunninghame South) (SNP)
SNP
I am pleased to speak on behalf of the Equalities and Human Rights Committee in the debate. It has been 30 years since the UK ratified the UN Convention on t...
Alexander Stewart (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I am delighted to open on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives in this important stage 1 debate. I extend my thanks to the committee clerks and all those who...
Mary Fee (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
It is a privilege to speak in this stage 1 debate on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill and to open for...
Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green)
Green
This is the first stage in a historic process for the Parliament and for Scotland’s young people. It is an important milestone in the wider efforts to codify...
Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD)
LD
I thank the Equalities and Human Rights Committee’s clerks, and I thank the witnesses—in particular, the children and young people who gave us very full evid...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Christine Grahame)
SNP
I was somewhat amused by your “Finally finally”, which a few members use. 16:40
Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP)
SNP
I will talk about the outreach that the committee did on the bill. It is important to stress how valuable and comprehensive it was, and to commend the childr...
Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
For the avoidance of doubt, I start by saying that Scottish Conservative members support the bill in principle. If we voice technical concerns, that is a rea...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Mr Greene must close, so he cannot take an intervention.
Jamie Greene
Con
Given the genuine cross-party ambition to improve outcomes for all young Scots, let the bill not become one of those bad laws. 16:52
Fulton MacGregor (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP)
SNP
It gives me great pleasure to speak in today’s historic debate. We often use the word “historic” in this Parliament, but we rarely use it as appropriately as...
Elaine Smith (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome the Equalities and Human Rights Committee’s support for the incorporation of UNCRC into Scots law, which is long overdue, and its work on the stage...
Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
SNP
The bill that we are debating is crucial to our nation’s future and I will be delighted to agree to its general principles at decision time—in fact, to quote...
Alison Harris (Central Scotland) (Con)
Con
As a member of the Equalities and Human Rights Committee, I am pleased to speak about children’s rights today. I hope that we are able to do the issue justic...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
We move to closing speeches. Mr Gray, you will need to put your card in for anything worth while to happen. After all this time—it is so easily done. 17:17
Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
I am delighted to find myself closing the debate for the Labour Party, because incorporation of the UNCRC into Scots law is a policy that we have long suppor...
Alex Cole-Hamilton
LD
Does Iain Gray recognise that, at eight, the age of criminal responsibility in Scotland is lower than it is anywhere else in the British isles and in those h...
Iain Gray
Lab
That is the case, and it makes it worse to know that we passed legislation to move on from that position but that that law has not been commenced. That is wh...
Rachael Hamilton (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con)
Con
I am delighted to close the debate on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives and I place on record my thanks to the Equalities and Human Rights Committee for i...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I call the Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, to close the debate for the Scottish Government. 17:30
John Swinney
SNP
I draw the debate to a close with a word of thanks to members of the Scottish Parliament across the political spectrum for their contributions to the debate ...
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
I have not been following the bill closely, but an answer that I got today to a parliamentary question said that the Government did not know how many childre...
John Swinney
SNP
Mr Findlay clearly has not been following the debate. We did a data collection exercise with local government last summer, which identified 70,000 young peop...
Alex Cole-Hamilton
LD
Will the cabinet secretary give way?
John Swinney
SNP
I simply put that detail on the record to make it clear that what Mr Cole-Hamilton put on the record earlier is not a clear, accurate and comprehensive disti...