Cole-Hamilton responds to watered-down UNCRC Bill

Responding to the news that the government will finally bring forward a watered-down children's rights bill in the autumn, two years after the Supreme Court ruled the bill to be outside the Scottish Parliament's powers and eleven years after it was first debated in Parliament, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:  

“Tens of thousands of children have been denied vital protections and safeguards because of endless foot dragging on the part of this government.

"The Supreme Court was clear about which provisions were outside the competence of the Scottish Government, so it should have been a simple matter of bringing forward a fresh version of the bill at that point.

"Instead, ministers chose to drag this out into a multi-year row because they're addicted to conflict, grudge and grievance.

"We must now get this fresh legislation passed as swiftly as possible to make up for the delays caused by the Scottish Government's years of messing around.

"It's time to put Scottish children first."