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Plenary, 26 Mar 2003

26 Mar 2003 · S1 · Plenary

Item of business

Commissioner for Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill

McGugan, Irene SNP North East Scotland Watch on SPTV

Anyone who needs to be convinced of the varied nature of the legislation that the Parliament is passing could do worse than look at our business programme for this afternoon. In the space of an hour or two, we have considered the Council of the Law Society of Scotland Bill, the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Bill, the National Galleries of Scotland Bill and the Commissioner for Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill.

All members of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee share my satisfaction that we have successfully produced our first committee bill, which is an achievement in itself, but we are also mindful that the bill is significant. It has special significance not only for the MSPs who were involved in shaping it, but for the many individuals and organisations throughout Scotland that campaigned for such a post for many years.

The committee took a deliberate decision early to involve as many representatives of children's organisations from all sectors as possible when the bill went through its earlier legislative stages. That had benefits for everybody concerned, because information was shared and concerns were raised in an on-going and open way. I have no doubt that that is why stage 2 was short and sweet and why there have been only three amendments today. I whole-heartedly commend that process to any other committee that initiates a bill.

It would be remiss of me not to thank the ministers and the Executive for their support. Progress would undoubtedly have been considerably slower and much less smooth without such endorsement of our intentions. I also endorse the convener's thanks to everyone else involved, especially the committee's clerking team and the non-Executive bills unit, whom I thank for their considerable assistance.

However, as others have said, the most important contributors were, perhaps, the many children and young people who participated in our consultation events, focus groups, videos and all the other things that we arranged: their views have been very influential. I hope that they know that and realise that their contributions have been genuinely valuable.

I, too, am pleased that so many young people have been in the public gallery this afternoon. Of course, their contribution does not stop with the bill. We have made great efforts to incorporate into the bill the ethos that their continuing input is vital. The office's work will at all times be informed by the views of children and young people; indeed, the bill contains a duty to involve them.

There was initially some concern that the commissioner might be merely another layer of bureaucracy. That is not the case: the commissioner will be a new, significant and unique office and will provide a focused approach to promoting and safeguarding the rights of children and young people. The provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child will underpin the work.

The commissioner will also be powerful. That power will derive from being a statutory creation, from being independent of the Executive and the Parliament, from being credible—with children and young people driving work and prioritisation—and from the political input that exists in a direct route to Parliament through the commissioner's duty to report. That will all contribute to the establishment of a real champion of children's rights who is genuinely in touch with the issues that are of concern to young people and the organisations that represent them.

A number of young people have asked when the bill will become law and the commissioner will be in office. If the Parliament agrees today that the bill be passed, a commissioner could be in office by early 2004. After so many years of waiting, it is very good to have such a definite time scale.

The bill can be a lasting legacy of the Parliament for future generations. There can be no better role for a Parliament than to improve the situation of Scotland's children and young people, to promote their involvement in the legislative process and to encourage them to see the Parliament's relevance. We trust that that will contribute positively to how our young people relate to wider society.

As one young person said,

"The Commissioner isn't someone standing up for you, it's someone to help you stand up for yourself."

I hope sincerely that that will be the case. I ask members to vote for the bill.