Chamber and committees

Thanks.

Our second agenda item is to take evidence on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill at the reconsideration stage. We will take evidence from two panels of witnesses this morning.

I welcome our first panel. Nicola Killean is the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland; Gina Wilson is head of strategy in the office of the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland; Juliet Harris is director of Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights); Jan Savage is executive director of the Scottish Human Rights Commission; and Fiona Menzies is a policy manager at the Law Society of Scotland.

I refer members to papers 1 and 2.

Before we begin our questioning, I invite each of the witnesses to make some brief opening remarks, should they wish to do so.

Thank you. I am always impressed by the clarity of children’s thoughts and how they can bring them alive through visual aids and storytelling.

Thank you. Do any of the other panel members want to come in on that area? It was very specific, I suppose.

I move to questions from Maggie Chapman.

I will bring in Meghan Gallacher shortly, but first I will ask you all a quick question. What, if any, involvement did you have in the development of the amendments to the UNCRC bill?

I see that all our witnesses are shaking their heads, so the answer is none. I just wanted to know about that.

The word that I was thinking of was “pragmatic”. It is a pragmatic way forward but we realise the complexities of it. Can you give an example of any unintended consequences of the process? You alluded to possible legal challenge. Could you go into that a little bit more?

Thank you.

Thanks very much. We will move to questions from Karen Adam.

Did you have any involvement in the preparation or development of the amendments?

That is great—thank you.

I take it that Fulton MacGregor has no further supplementary questions, so I will bring in Maggie Chapman.