Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 28 January 2014
28 Jan 2014 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation in Scotland
I thank David Stewart for his opening speech, introducing the committee’s report. I add my thanks to those who gave evidence, the clerks and others who made the report possible.
This is a difficult report, discussing and seeking to make recommendations, as it does, on a most difficult subject. It immediately became clear to the committee—and this led inexorably to the report’s primary and overarching recommendation—that understanding and policy are essentially adrift in a sea of competing work by seemingly unco-ordinated, if well-intended, agencies, initiatives and interventions.
There is a compelling common sense underpinning the conclusion that the Scottish Government should develop a national strategy for tackling child sexual exploitation. That is not to suggest that there is a dash of amateurism about the efforts that others have been making—far from it. It is clear that there is very considerable experience and depth of commitment on the part of organisations such as Barnardo’s and on the part of individuals.
It became immediately clear that a myriad of inquiries, reviews and investigations are currently in progress across the United Kingdom.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-08840, in the name of David Stewart, on the report on tackling child sexual exploitation in Scotland. It ...
David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Lab
The Public Petitions Committee’s role, in my view, is to shine a light into the dark corners of Scotland, and there can be no darker corner than child sexual...
Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con)
Con
The member will be aware that adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse have welcomed the report, which focuses on child sexual exploitation, which includes ...
David Stewart
Lab
The member has made some interesting points and I am happy to go along to her cross-party group in April to go through those points in a lot more detail. I t...
The Minister for Children and Young People (Aileen Campbell)
SNP
I thank David Stewart and all the members of the Public Petitions Committee for their comprehensive work on child sexual exploitation. This is a debate that ...
Margaret Mitchell
Con
Earlier, the minister mentioned the Rochdale case in greater Manchester. In that case, the national health service crisis intervention team helped to expose ...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I thank Margaret Mitchell for the clear interest that she takes in working to ensure that some of the issues that we are discussing are dealt with adequately...
Gil Paterson (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP)
SNP
A view is starting to be heard that, rather than police forces, taxpayers and voluntary groups investigating the actions of people on the internet, internet ...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
There are many different issues around internet safety—not least some of the particularly tragic incidents that happened last summer—which is why we held and...
Jayne Baxter (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
I begin by thanking the Public Petitions Committee for its work in producing the report that we are debating today. My Labour colleagues and I join members ...
Jackson Carlaw (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
I thank David Stewart for his opening speech, introducing the committee’s report. I add my thanks to those who gave evidence, the clerks and others who made ...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I have said that we want to take all the learning that we have and to have an action plan, so that we can take action, as opposed to having another prolonged...
Jackson Carlaw
Con
I agree with the minister—I hope that I have not been giving a false impression. Any national strategy has to be based on actions, and I welcome what the min...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
We move to the open debate. We have a little time in hand. I can offer David Torrance, to be followed by Graeme Pearson, up to seven minutes. 15:14
David Torrance (Kirkcaldy) (SNP)
SNP
I begin by thanking the committee clerking team for their hard work and their efforts in helping us put together the report. I also thank the numerous orga...
Graeme Pearson (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I offer my sincere thanks to three separate entities. First, I thank Barnardo’s for bringing forward the evidence that lay behind the petition, which resulte...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Graeme Pearson
Lab
I will, if the Presiding Officer is happy for me to do so.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
I am.
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I am sorry for intervening at this stage; I had not quite realised how far into his allotted time the member was. I point out that, last year, we hosted a s...
Graeme Pearson
Lab
I thank the minister for that intervention and I am happy to acknowledge her point. The use of chat rooms to choreograph the exploitation of children is a ne...
John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
As a member of the Public Petitions Committee since 2008, I found the petition one of the most challenging that I have faced, given the subject matter that w...
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD)
LD
I congratulate David Stewart and his Public Petitions Committee colleagues on their work. The issue of child sexual exploitation is undoubtedly complex, and ...
Angus MacDonald (Falkirk East) (SNP)
SNP
I hope that Parliament will bear with me as I speak with a heavy cold, but also with a heavy heart as we debate this horrendous subject. Child sexual exploit...
Jamie Hepburn (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP)
SNP
I thank the committee for its work and Barnardo’s for its petition. David Stewart was right to talk about “the dark corners of Scotland”. None of us doubts...
Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate. We often say that debates are important, but I cannot think of many debates that are more important than on...
George Adam (Paisley) (SNP)
SNP
I, too, thank the committee for the difficult work that it undertook in its inquiry. As the convener, Dave Stewart, and Angus MacDonald said, if one child is...
Anne McTaggart (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
I am especially pleased to participate in the debate, as I am a member of the Public Petitions Committee that produced the report on tackling child sexual ex...
Clare Adamson (Central Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I thank my colleagues who sit on the Public Petitions Committee for their dedication in bringing this important issue to the chamber. I echo Liam McArthur’s ...
Liam McArthur
LD
I am very grateful to Clare Adamson for taking an intervention. She will know that I support the principle of the named person, but one of the concerns that ...