John Swinney has
vowed to press ahead with their controversial plan to appoint a state guardian
for every child in Scotland despite a
former SNP leader warning the party
faces a public
backlash if it refuses to stage a climbdown.
The Deputy First
Minister recognised there are concerns about Named Persons but argued the
answer was a “refresh” of the guidance issued to parents and other groups about
the scheme to address any “misunderstandings”.
But Gordon Wilson,
who led the SNP between 1979 and 1990, called for the legislation to be
repealed and warned the party that “stubborn refusal” to do so amid mounting
public fury would result in “long-term political grief”.
He highlighted a
recent opinion poll showing nearly two-thirds of Scots believe the scheme is an
“unacceptable intrusion” into family life and argued the real solution to
protecting vulnerable children was strengthening existing Children’s Panels.
His warning was the
second in two days by a high-profile SNP figure after Jim Sillars, the party’s
former deputy leader, described the legislation as a “colossal political hole”
for the SNP.
The SNP split on the
scheme came ahead of a Conservative debate at the Scottish Parliament today
calling on ministers to at least “pause” the roll-out of the scheme while the
concerns of parents and professionals such as health visitors are addressed.
Nicola Sturgeon has
vowed to push ahead with the full roll-out by August 31, at which point the NHS
will appoint a health worker to act as a Named Person for every child until the
age of five, with responsibility passing to councils until they reach 18.
The First Minister
argues the measure is needed so potential cases of abuse are spotted early but
campaigners have taken the legislation to the UK Supreme Court, arguing it
undermines parents’ rights to raise their children as they see fit.
Speaking ahead of
the debate, Mr Swinney, who is also the Education Minister, said most children
receive support from their parents and family but it is impossible to predict
which will need extra help.
“That is why the
named person service is for every child – so concerns are picked up early. This
government is absolutely committed to the named person service to ensure no one
is left without support when they need it,” he said.
“I recognise there
are concerns and misunderstandings about the policy. We need to get the
guidance for professionals and information for the public right and that is why
we will refresh these materials.”
It emerged during
the Holyrood election campaign that SNP ministers were planning a
taxpayer-funded public information campaign targeted at parents and children,
with a pack being distributed to nurseries and schools.
Although the Tories
want the scheme scrapped, their motion for today’s Holyrood debate merely calls
for a pause in an attempt to win support from the other opposition parties and
inflict a defeat on the minority SNP government.
Mr Wilson said:
"The SNP government is right to kick out the cynical political amendment
calling for a pause in implementation of the named-person legislation lodged by
the Scottish Conservatives opposition. It does not go far enough.
"It would be
better to go for straightforward repeal. When two-thirds of the population
object to it as intrusion into family life, political common sense accepts that
stubborn refusal to act will only cause long-term political grief."
The former SNP
leader, a former prosecutor in the juvenile courts, said a solution could be
found in the role of the Reporter to the Children's Panel, which he argued had
been weakened over the years.
He added: "That
should be solution to the real problems of child safety. Teachers, social
workers, health workers and the public could refer their worries to the
Reporter and the Children's Panels for scrutiny and action."
The controversy over
the scheme reignited in the wake of the convictions last week of Rachel and
Nyomi Fee for the murder of two-year-old Liam Fee following a horrific
catalogue of abuse.
He was killed at the
family’s home in Fife, which is one of the areas piloting the Named Person
initiative. However, Mr Swinney said the murder had “absolutely nothing to do”
with the scheme and described attempts to establish a link as "atrocious".
The No to Named
Persons (NO2NP) campaign welcomed today’s Holyrood debate and predicted there
would be huge public interest ahead of the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Spokesman Simon
Calvert said: “The Named Person issue is a major concern for the public so it’s
quite right that MSPs should make time to debate it.”
