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Every contribution to the Official Report — chamber and committee — searchable in one place. Pulled from data.parliament.scot, indexed for full-text search, linked through to every MSP.

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Showing 48 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.

Adam Ingram SNP Chamber

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

The amendments relate to three main topics: making provision for new grounds when a child is already subject to a compulsory supervision order; clarifying the powers of a review hearing when it defers a decision on a compulsory supervision order; and simplifying the bill provi...

Adam Ingram SNP Chamber

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

There has been intense lobbying on the issue over the past week or so. My view is that that has generated rather more heat than light. I do not understand the scale of resistance to the provisions. They are entirely intended to support the best interests of the child, to ensur...

Adam Ingram SNP Committee

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

The bill places certain duties on local authorities in those instances where a child protection order is made by the sheriff and directs the removal of a child to a place of safety. Section 42 of the bill places the same duties on the authority in respect of the child as would...

Adam Ingram SNP Committee

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Concerns were raised at stage 1 about the proposal in section 58 that a child should be referred to the reporter only when it is considered that a compulsory supervision order should be made. Several partners expressed the view that the threshold was too high and that there wa...

Mr Ingram: SNP Committee

Mental Health (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Amendments 157, 159 and 160 were prompted by the "let's get it right" campaign, which is supported by the Scottish Association for Mental Health and 63 other voluntary organisations.Amendment 157 would pave the way for amendment 160, which would qualify the use of community–ba...

Mr Ingram: SNP Committee

Adoption and Children (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Amendment 369 is about the interaction of permanence orders, court orders and orders under the children's hearings system, which is a complex area. I have tried to simplify matters—comprehensibly, I hope—not least to aid my understanding, so I ask the minister and members to b...

Adam Ingram SNP Chamber

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Amendment 104, which is of a technical nature, relates to the effect of orders made outside Scotland. Section 33 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 enables regulations to be made to allow court orders that are made in other parts of the UK to have effect as if they were super...

Adam Ingram SNP Chamber

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I am grateful to the Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee for supporting my stage 2 amendments, which tackled the unequal and in some cases disproportionate disclosure of offences that emanate from children’s hearings. We have taken a real step forward in strikin...

Adam Ingram SNP Chamber

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

The feedback loop has been widely welcomed as a means of ensuring that panel members are better informed and better able to take decisions in the best interests of children. There has, however, been considerable discussion—including at stage 2—about exactly what it is for, wha...

Mr Ingram: SNP Chamber

Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Bill: <br />Stage 3

I listened carefully to what the minister said this morning and welcome the movement that he has made in amendment 342. However, I believe that amendment 343, in the name of Shona Robison, addresses more completely concerns about the advent of community-based CTOs.I want to sp...

Adam Ingram SNP Chamber

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

As Ken Macintosh has confirmed, these amendments to sections 159 and 160 have been lodged to continue the theme of trying to ensure that children are involved in the hearings system instead of simply having the process happen to them. The bill provides that the duties under a ...

Mr Ingram: SNP Chamber

Adoption and Children (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

As Robert Brown rightly said, the amendments in group 15 address a complex area of the law and practice. The adoption policy review group was exercised by the issues with which the group deals. The key problem stems from an overlap between the children's hearings system and th...

Adam Ingram SNP Chamber

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I suppose that I had better respond to Mr Macintosh’s point about amendment 25.Under section 83, when the principal reporter arranges a children’s hearing for the purpose of deciding whether a compulsory supervision order should be made in respect of a child, and such an order...

Adam Ingram SNP Chamber

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

The amendments are similar to amendments that were lodged by Ken Macintosh at stage 2, which sought to lower the threshold for referral to the reporter from that in the bill as introduced. As Margaret Smith said, the amendments would remove the two conditions for making a refe...

Adam Ingram SNP Chamber

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Section 146 provides a regulation-making power to place a child in secure accommodation in circumstances where the child is subject to a compulsory supervision order that does not itself include a secure accommodation authorisation. The bill contains powers to make other order...

Adam Ingram SNP Chamber

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Amendments 92 to 94 relate to the enforcement of orders. The bill currently provides for the police to intervene in the enforcement of compulsory supervision orders, interim compulsory supervision orders and medical orders where required. That is not a new policy; the police a...

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): SNP Committee

Child Protection Inquiry

I would like to return to the point about the lack of public understanding, particularly of the use of compulsory powers. Recommendation 13 of the "It's everyone's job to make sure I'm alright" report is about referring agencies identifying why compulsory measures of supervisi...

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): SNP Chamber

Mental Health (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

I congratulate the Health and Community Care Committee on the thorough report that it has produced on a long, complicated bill. Like many others with an interest in this area, I believe that, in being required to provide proper scrutiny of such an important bill within such a ...

The Minister for Children and Early Years (Adam Ingram): SNP Committee

Subordinate Legislation

I am conscious that we had a lengthy discussion about the statutory instrument last week, and I hope that we will not spend too much time going back over that.First and foremost, I must make clear the Government's commitment to the principles and ethos of the children's hearin...

Adam Ingram SNP Chamber

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

I acknowledge that there could be a problem with that and that I have further work to do to provide information, further explanation and reassurances. I have undertaken to do that over the summer in the run-up to stage 2. I hope that colleagues on the committee will help in th...

Adam Ingram SNP Committee

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

The amendments relate to the duty on local authorities to make inquiries into a child’s circumstances and, if necessary, to provide information to the reporter.The duties under a compulsory supervision order and other orders and warrants are imposed on the “relevant local auth...

Adam Ingram SNP Chamber

Social Services Workforce

I thank Des McNulty for his extended exposition. Like him and, I dare say, most politicians, I quite like the sound of my own voice, but I do not know whether others share that delight. In my initial remarks, I welcomed the opportunity to have this debate. It has given us an ...

Adam Ingram SNP Committee

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

The amendments in the group relate to sections 60 and 68 of the bill. Those sections provide for circumstances when, in dealing with matters such as divorce, separation or adoption, a court may refer a child to the reporter, if it is satisfied during the course of its proceedi...

Adam Ingram SNP Committee

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Section 64 provides that, when information is passed to the principal reporter from any of a list of various sources—for example, when information is received from a local authority—the reporter must consider that information with a view to determining whether the child needs ...

Adam Ingram SNP Committee

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

I am grateful to Ken Macintosh for lodging amendments 178 and 179, which I support in principle.The children’s hearings system is underpinned by the no-order principle, which means that a child should not be referred to a hearing or placed under compulsory supervision unless t...

Adam Ingram SNP Committee

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

I am afraid that I have not noticed the silence of COSLA, on these amendments in particular. COSLA has indeed been pushing the line of local accountability.I will take some time to go through the implications of the amendments in this group, and I will expand on some of the po...

Adam Ingram SNP Chamber

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

I am grateful to Elizabeth Smith for lodging amendments that overturn amendments 71 to 74 and 78, which were passed at stage 2. As others have said, the stage 2 amendments gave control of area support teams to local authorities, and that gave local authorities direct influence...

The Minister for Children and Early Years (Adam Ingram) SNP Chamber

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill

I am delighted to open this stage 3 debate on the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill—passing it will be quite a landmark achievement, considering how long it has been in the pipeline, and quite a relief, given that, as a Parliament, we have spent nearly 30 hours considering i...

Mr Ingram: SNP Committee

Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

The important point is that there must be a programme of assessment for the majority of the kids. The existing approach is almost a bureaucratic approach, with a compulsory assessment. We should be careful that we do not say that, in supporting the ending of compulsory assessm...

Mr Ingram: SNP Committee

Mental Health (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

The Scottish Association for Mental Health and 63 supporting organisations want the tribunal to be given the kind of flexibility that the minister indicated was required when she spoke against amendment 160. SAMH and others want the tribunal to have the powers to exclude parti...

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): SNP Committee

School Transport Guidelines

Your response made me slightly concerned that there might be a lack of a systematic approach to the issue and that, as a result, we might get some variation in interpretation across the country. Should a risk assessment procedure that can be activated in response to parents' o...

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): SNP Committee

Adoption and Children (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

I do not think I can. That was excellent—thank you very much, minister.I will explain a little. Publication of photographs of children who are subject to supervision requirements is necessary because it helps adoption agencies in Scotland that are seeking adopters. We are at a...

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): SNP Chamber

Standards in Scotland's <br />Schools etc Bill: Stage 3

I support amendment 11. Enshrining the right of any child to receive a school education, as this bill does, is a welcome step forward and brings statute in this country into line with the European convention on human rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It ...

Adam Ingram: SNP Chamber

Looked-after Children

Yes. I am pointing out what we believe should be the way forward. People protect children, so building relationships at a local level—allowing appropriate information to be shared and action to be taken—is the key to improvement in child protection. Legislation is not a magic ...

Adam Ingram MSP (Minister for Children and Early Years): SNP Committee

Subordinate Legislation

Good morning, everyone. I add my best wishes to committee members for the year ahead.I am grateful for the opportunity to outline why the Government seeks the committee's support for the orders, which make a number of necessary consequential amendments to primary and secondary...

Adam Ingram SNP Chamber

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

As Mr Harper said, amendments 105 and 106 mirror amendments that he lodged at stage 2. I share Robin Harper’s view that we must, where possible, seek to avoid any young person being deprived of their liberty, and this is an important debate, but the proposed change is not the ...

Mr Ingram: SNP Committee

Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

If we take away compulsory assessment and put the onus on parents to call for an assessment, people might fall between two stools. It is important that the assessment process is built in.

The Minister for Children and Early Years (Adam Ingram): SNP Committee

Public Services Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today. I want to follow up the evidence that you took from officials and stakeholders earlier this month and set out our vision for the impact of the changes that we are proposing in the bill. I would also like to respond to some of th...

Adam Ingram: SNP Committee

Public Services Reform (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

We have given an absolute commitment that there will be no compulsory redundancies. We hope that the matter will be managed through the process that you suggest—natural wastage—and the like.

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): SNP Chamber

Mental Health Carers

Before I begin, I would like to thank a number of people in the gallery who have come along to listen to the debate: Margaret Paton of Trust: A Carers Connection; representatives from the Mental Welfare Commission; professionals; and many carers from Ayrshire. I also mention P...

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): SNP Chamber

Lifelong Learning

I am pleased to speak in support of a report that has received almost universal acclaim across the political spectrum and among stakeholders. The committee and its staff have done the Scottish Parliament a service, picking their way through a vital but complex area of our nati...

Mr Ingram: SNP Chamber

Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Bill: <br />Stage 3

It is with pleasure that I speak to amendment 114, given that I lodged a similar amendment at stage 2. My amendment was defeated only by the convener's casting vote.As Mary Scanlon said, amendment 114 has widespread support in the mental health community. It would allow tribun...

Mr Ingram: SNP Chamber

No, I certainly shall not. I need to press on. We agree with the minister when he says that changes to the school curriculum will be the key liberators in opening up the space for schools to innovate, inspire and drive up performance. We are convinced that, for young Scots to ...

The Minister for Children and Early Years (Adam Ingram) SNP Chamber

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

I am pleased to discuss the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill this afternoon. I have no doubt that the bill is not only necessary, but vital if we are to improve, strengthen and protect our unique children’s hearings system—a system of which we are all rightly proud. I conti...

Adam Ingram SNP Committee

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

As members know, CPOs are emergency orders that allow local services to take steps to ensure the immediate protection of a child who is at significant risk. They are not a long-term solution to issues that may be evident in a child’s life, and nor should they be. Consequently,...

Adam Ingram SNP Chamber

Scottish Executive Question Time · Pupil Support Assistants

I am glad to say that the situation in Aberdeen City Council seems to have moved on. The member will be aware that the SNP council group has brought forward proposals to withdraw the threat of wholesale compulsory redundancies. I hope that we can move forward, build better rel...

Adam Ingram (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) SNP Committee

Were significant features of the ScotRail franchise among the things that you asked the UK Government for? I am thinking of things such as payment of the living wage, the taking on of apprentices and no compulsory redundancies. Did you ask the UK Government to include those in...

Adam Ingram (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) SNP Committee

Mental Health (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Amendment 109 was inspired by my constituent Fiona Sinclair of the Autism Rights group. Her research, using freedom of information requests, has established that there are no published statistics on deaths, suicides or adverse events such as assaults or restraints in the menta...

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Chamber

Meeting of the Parliament 24 November 2010

24 Nov 2010 · S3 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3

Ingram, Adam SNP South of Scotland Watch on SPTV

The amendments relate to three main topics: making provision for new grounds when a child is already subject to a compulsory supervision order; clarifying the powers of a review hearing when it defers a decision on a compulsory supervision order; and simplifying the bill provisions.

Members will be particularly interested in two policy changes, the first of which is made by way of amendment 70. The amendment introduces a new order called an interim variation of the compulsory supervision order, which will apply when the child is subject to a compulsory supervision order and, at a review hearing, the hearing defers a substantive decision for the purposes, perhaps, of further investigation. The interim variation contains many of the components of the interim compulsory supervision order, offering the same flexibility and protections while ensuring that the child remains subject to a single order. As a result, it is simply an adjustment to the existing compulsory supervision order.

16:30 The second change will be made through amendment 80, which will change the policy in section 151 covering the determination of appeals. The amendment seeks to restrict the sheriff’s powers when disposing of an appeal. Currently, when a sheriff is disposing of an appeal and is either confirming or overturning a children’s hearing decision, they could make another order, including a compulsory supervision order. Amendment 80 will amend section 151(3) to provide that the sheriff may only make an interim compulsory supervision order or an interim variation of a compulsory supervision order, or grant a warrant to secure the child’s attendance. The amendment was lodged to make it crystal clear that the sheriff’s powers under section 151, which we are due to debate in the next group of amendments, do not undermine the role of the hearing. It will allow a sheriff to put in place urgent supervision measures or a warrant to secure attendance while a child waits for a hearing to review his or her changed circumstances.

The remaining amendments in the group will simplify the bill’s provisions or make consequential amendments as a result of the three issues that I mentioned. I do not propose to go through those amendments in detail, but I am happy to expand on individual amendments if members would find that useful.

Members: No.

In the same item of business

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Alasdair Morgan) SNP

The next item of business is stage 3 proceedings on the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Bill. Members should have the bill as amended at stage 2, which is Sco...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

We come to group 1. Amendment 1, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 2, 109 and 118.

The Minister for Children and Early Years (Adam Ingram) SNP

The amendments deal with the appointment of the national convener and principal reporter and ensure the involvement of children and young people in the appoi...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

No other member has asked to speak—Interruption. Suddenly members have asked to speak.

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab) Lab

I was waiting too politely. I thank the minister for lodging the amendments. The committee discussed the issue at stage 2 and agreed specifically on the invo...

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab) Lab

Like Mr Macintosh, I welcome the amendments, which are based on a fundamental point that was raised consistently with the committee during its deliberations ...

Adam Ingram SNP

I thank members for their support for the amendments and I confirm the points that Mr Macintosh made about a national reference group. I hope that we can tak...

The Deputy Presiding Officer SNP

We come to group 2. Amendment 3, in the name of Elizabeth Smith, is the only amendment in the group. I call Elizabeth Smith to speak to and move the amendment.

Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con

There is a simple principle behind amendment 3—namely, the assurance that there will never be any facility for any person who occupies the office of national...

Karen Whitefield Lab

Throughout the committee’s deliberations on the bill, volunteers who serve on our children’s hearings panels every day told us that they thought that their i...

Adam Ingram SNP

I support amendment 3, which makes clear the parameters of the powers of the national convener and the principal reporter in respect of a hearing. It support...

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Trish Godman) Lab

We move to group 3. Amendment 4, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 122, 159, 6, 123, 160, 161, 150, 150A, 150B, 150C and 162. That incl...

Adam Ingram SNP

This group of amendments relates to the order-making powers under sections 10 and 17. Those powers will enable the functions of the national convener, under ...

Karen Whitefield Lab

I am grateful to the minister for the discussions that he has had with me on this subject and the fact that we have been able to get some consensus on the is...

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD) LD

I welcome the minister’s comments and his acceptance of Karen Whitefield’s amendments on super-affirmative procedure, even if it has meant that we must consi...

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con) Con

It has been apparent, not only from what the minister said today—which was confirmed by Karen Whitefield—but from my reading of the way in which this matter ...

Adam Ingram SNP

It appears that we agree on the way forward on this issue, and I welcome that. On the basis that members will support Karen Whitefield’s amendment and my man...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab

We move to group 4. Amendment 5, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 97, 98 and 98A.

Adam Ingram SNP

The feedback loop has been widely welcomed as a means of ensuring that panel members are better informed and better able to take decisions in the best intere...

Ken Macintosh Lab

As several witnesses and members highlighted at stages 1 and 2, the feedback loop is one of the most important innovations or reforms that the Government is ...

Elizabeth Smith Con

One of the most important messages that we received from many stakeholders in the children’s hearings system was about the need for better monitoring and sha...

Margaret Smith LD

The feedback loop is one of the most important features of the bill and the discussion on the issue serves to remind us that we are striving to achieve a bet...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab

I call the minister to wind up.

Adam Ingram SNP

I have nothing more to add, Presiding Officer.Amendment 5 agreed to.Section 17—Power to change the Principal Reporter’s functionsAmendment 6 not moved.Amendm...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab

We move to group 5. Amendment 124, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 125 to 131, 22 to 33, 36 to 39, 143, 40, 42 to 50, 53 to 60, 62, 6...

Adam Ingram SNP

This is a group of 57 amendments. Members will be glad to know that I do not intend to speak to all of them.Members: Hear, hear.

Adam Ingram SNP

The amendments relate to three main topics: making provision for new grounds when a child is already subject to a compulsory supervision order; clarifying th...

Adam Ingram SNP

I move amendment 124.

Ken Macintosh Lab

I thank the minister for his comments and welcome the Government’s approach of introducing interim compulsory supervision orders. It is clear that the minist...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab

Minister, do you wish to add anything else?