Hansard

I welcome all converts, even Brian Monteith, but I doubt that I will ever again be surprised by his actions.

What do children have to do with politics? In some cases, everything and, in others, very little. It is time for that to change. Almost every time the Parliament passes a bill, it has an impact on children somewhere along the line. With a few notable exceptions, children are often overlooked in the decision-making process, so I am proud to say that the Commissioner for Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill is one such exception. Children have been listened to during the drafting of the bill and we can now ensure that they continue to be heard.

I believe that a commissioner will make a significant difference to Scotland's children. The commissioner will be an individual who has access to policy makers and who has listened to children. The commissioner will be a champion for children and will advocate their views and concerns. As we have heard, the bill is the product of long consultation of children and those who work with children.

I take this opportunity to add my thanks to all those who took the time to help us in the bill's development, from voluntary organisations—who have campaigned for such legislation for at least a decade—to local authorities and children of all ages. The bill shows the considerable potential of Parliament's committees. Committees can—I point out to Brian Monteith—do more than provide an opportunity for party-political rantings. There has been a great deal of co-operation and consensus on the bill at every stage.

I echo the comments that were made by the convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee: we owe a special debt of thanks to the non-Executive bills unit which was, I confess, pushed to the very limit of its endurance. However, its staff came through on the other side still smiling. I also thank the committee's clerks, who helped to keep the show on the road. It is also necessary to thank the Minister and Deputy Minister for Education and Young People and the Scottish Executive for their support in getting the bill through.

Let us step back, however, and remember why we are doing this. The Labour party has long believed that the provision of good co-ordinated children's services is key to the delivery of our social justice agenda for children. We believe firmly that there must be a clear and accountable approach to children's services, which is why we support the establishment of a children's commissioner as a champion who will fight for children's interests. We are doing this in recognition of the fact that the protection of children is an on-going issue and that, as the social environment changes, so do the challenges that are faced by children.

Although a host of new opportunities are available to children today, there are also new dangers through the internet, drugs or crime, and children are now more likely than ever to be brought up in broken families. Consequently, they are more likely than ever to need support and they must, as vulnerable members of our society, be protected. It is all too easy for us, as politicians, to get caught up in an adult-centric world. A children's commissioner will keep us in touch with our children's changing world.

We are also introducing the measure because we do not want to wait for a fatal inter-agency communications failure. As yet, no individual or office has been dedicated solely to children, with the job of monitoring the system as a whole and constantly working to improve it. We have the opportunity to change that and to take seriously our commitment to children's welfare. Yes—the commissioner will have the power to investigate underperformers, but improving services is about more than naming and shaming. With so many dedicated and efficient staff in the children's sector, we must learn from each other and share best practice. The commissioner's role in supporting research to develop our service will be very important.

It is crucial that the commissioner's post has been developed with a proactive role in mind. He or she will work to promote children's rights not only with services but with members of the public. The commissioner's independence will ensure that the welfare of our young is never marginalised. Rights are rights, not only when the political climate is right and there is space on the agenda, but all the time and every time.

It seems that it is a day for quotations, so I will continue that theme. Cyril Connolly said:

"Always be nice to those younger than you, because they are the ones who will be writing about you".

Kids are much more sophisticated these days. Sweets might have done the trick for our generation, but if we want to be remembered kindly, we had better aim a bit higher. Perhaps the appointment of a children's commissioner is a reasonable start. However, I can think of better reasons to support the bill. Those reasons include the 11,000 children without a voice who are looked after by the state, the 9,000 runaways each year and the 2,000 children who went through the children's hearings system last year for youth crimes. Those children need the support of quality services and of a society that respects their rights and we can make that happen today. I urge the Parliament to build on the work that the Executive has already done to improve the lives of children throughout Scotland and to support the bill.