Chamber
Plenary, 15 Jan 2003
15 Jan 2003 · S1 · Plenary
Item of business
Commissioner for Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I thank the Presiding Officer for allowing me to arrive late for the debate following my attendance at a family funeral. I am pleased to be able to make a contribution even if it will be brief.
Obviously, I am unable to respond to the many excellent speeches that have undoubtedly been made, but I can congratulate Murdo Fraser on his excellent contribution, because I wrote it and I was meant to deliver it myself. I also pay tribute to Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, in his absence. I always like to mention his role and the work that he did for children and children's care back in the 1990s. That work rather set the ball rolling and I am pleased that the committee has been able to pick up on what still has to be done.
I am often a critic of parliamentary committees; I think that their achievements are often inflated. However, on this occasion, I believe that the Education, Culture and Sport Committee has handled the matter well and has shown a proper degree of scepticism in establishing and agreeing the case, and in involving children and young people in seeing how it might work.
It is also worth mentioning the work of Jackie Baillie and Irene McGugan, who took a lot of the work load off the committee and worked out the detail together with the bill team. The bill is a good example of what committee work can achieve, when hard questions are asked and the right approach is taken to finding a balance, so that we walk before we can run. As a result, the bill does not set up an all-singing, all-dancing commissioner, but one who will make a difference and whom we can all support as an independent person representing young people.
I am pleased to indicate the Conservative party's support for the bill.
Obviously, I am unable to respond to the many excellent speeches that have undoubtedly been made, but I can congratulate Murdo Fraser on his excellent contribution, because I wrote it and I was meant to deliver it myself. I also pay tribute to Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, in his absence. I always like to mention his role and the work that he did for children and children's care back in the 1990s. That work rather set the ball rolling and I am pleased that the committee has been able to pick up on what still has to be done.
I am often a critic of parliamentary committees; I think that their achievements are often inflated. However, on this occasion, I believe that the Education, Culture and Sport Committee has handled the matter well and has shown a proper degree of scepticism in establishing and agreeing the case, and in involving children and young people in seeing how it might work.
It is also worth mentioning the work of Jackie Baillie and Irene McGugan, who took a lot of the work load off the committee and worked out the detail together with the bill team. The bill is a good example of what committee work can achieve, when hard questions are asked and the right approach is taken to finding a balance, so that we walk before we can run. As a result, the bill does not set up an all-singing, all-dancing commissioner, but one who will make a difference and whom we can all support as an independent person representing young people.
I am pleased to indicate the Conservative party's support for the bill.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Sir David Steel):
NPA
The first of our debates today is a debate on motion S1M-3689, in the name of Karen Gillon, on stage 1 of the Commissioner for Children and Young People (Sco...
Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab):
Lab
Members are sometimes surprised by how relevant the topic at time for reflection is to the debate that follows. Today's time for reflection was certainly rel...
The Minister for Education and Young People (Cathy Jamieson):
Lab
Like Karen Gillon, I welcome in particular the young people who have come to the public gallery to listen to the debate. The debate centres around the best i...
Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I begin by conveying apologies from Michael Russell, who is, unfortunately, unwell this afternoon. On a happier note, I congratulate Karen Gillon on her comp...
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con):
Con
I offer the apologies of my colleague Brian Monteith, who is not able to be with us for the whole of this afternoon's debate. Unfortunately he is attending a...
Ian Jenkins (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD):
LD
There is a sense of déjà vu about this debate, because it is not long since committee members talked about the report that established the case for the appoi...
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
In the open debate, we have time for two short speeches of three minutes each.
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab):
Lab
I add my thanks to the clerks, to NEBU, to my parliamentary colleagues on the Education, Culture and Sport Committee and, in particular, to Irene McGugan. Su...
Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD):
LD
Speaking as a genuine wrinkly—unlike the young ladies on the Labour benches—I have been actively involved in discussing and promoting this subject over the p...
The Presiding Officer:
NPA
We now move to closing speeches, which should be of three minutes.
Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD):
LD
I congratulate Karen Gillon and the Education, Culture and Sport Committee on introducing the bill. In years gone by, I was a member of the committee, but I ...
Ian Jenkins:
LD
I take it that Mr Stone is speaking as a smoothie, rather than as a wrinkly.
Mr Stone:
LD
As they said in "Beyond the Fringe", Esau was a hairy man, but I am a smooth man.Sorry, Ian Jenkins has thrown me, completely and utterly.Like all the other ...
Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con):
Con
I thank the Presiding Officer for allowing me to arrive late for the debate following my attendance at a family funeral. I am pleased to be able to make a co...
Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I begin by congratulating the committee on the work that it has done. The Parliament should also thank the committee for the work that it has done on the bil...
Karen Gillon:
Lab
Does Fiona McLeod accept that we have created a new public services ombudsman and that the Parliament should say to the ombudsman from the outset that they m...
Fiona McLeod:
SNP
I am not looking for the commissioner to be the last court of appeal, but having talked about exhausting the process, I hope that there will always be someon...
Cathy Jamieson:
Lab
I welcome the opportunity to say a few words in closing for the Executive. The debate has been short but useful. All members have given a clear commitment to...
Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab):
Lab
I thank all the members who participated in the debate. The response has been positive, even from the wrinklies and the smoothie—wherever he is.The bill prov...