Sturgeon ‘misled’ MSPs over Named Person trial
CAMPAIGNERS have demanded action against Nicola Sturgeon accusing her of ‘misleading’ the public over the controversial Named Person scheme.
They have written to Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh urging him to investigate the First Minister, her Cabinet colleagues and Nationalist MSPs.
It is now just weeks until the scheme is rolled out Scotland-wide, with every child under 18 given a ‘state snooper’ to collect information on their wellbeing.
The Scottish Government has repeatedly said the scheme is based on a successful Highlands pilot.
However, the No to Named Person (NO2NP) campaign claims this has now been disputed by a council chief in the Highlands.
Simon Calvert, NO2NP campaign spokesman, wrote that ‘many claims have been made by MSPs about “successful” early implementation of the service in five trial areas across Scotland. It now appears these claims are false.
‘Given the scale of the misrepresentation, and the damage this does to the reputation of the Scottish parliament, we call upon you to use your position as Presiding Officer to hold to account those who have misled the Scottish parliament and the Scottish people.’
He added: ‘Officials in Highland and Fife, and the Education Secretary, have now made it clear that the schemes operating in Highland and Fife were not trials of the Named Person role as defined in the Act.
‘The Highland model formed the basis for all other “trials” across Scotland. Given this, if Highland was not trialling the Named Person scheme as set out in the Act, then none of the trials across Scotland can be held up as evidence for what is now set in legislation.’
The scheme has been mired in confusion since ministers tried to argue it did not fail toddler Liam Fee, murdered by his mother Rachel Trelfa and her civil partner Nyomi Fee in Fife, where an early version of the initiative was operating.
However, in his desperation to absolve the scheme of any blame, Education Secretary John Swinney insisted Liam ‘did not have a Named Person in terms of the legislation that parliament has put in place’.
Backtracking, he later conceded every child in Fife has had a ‘contact point’ under the version of the scheme launched in 2009.
Campaigners point out the Scottish Government had trumpeted the Fife and other schemes as proof the concept was ‘working well’ and should be rolled out nationwide.
Speaking on Radio Clyde in April, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘The Named Person scheme is not new and has been operating in parts of Scotland now for some time.
‘The legislation paves the way for it to be rolled out across the whole of Scotland and if you take Highland Council, for example, that has been operating the Named Person scheme for some time, none of the concerns that are being expressed… have come to pass.’
NO2NP claims Bill Alexander, director of care and learning at Highland Council, contradicted this when he said: ‘It was described in the papers as “pilots”. It wasn’t being piloted it was just people were doing it, it was rolling out.’
The NO2NP campaign is waiting for a verdict from the UK Supreme Court in London on whether the scheme breaches the right to a private family life or EU laws on data sharing.
However, it is looking unlikely that they will be able to stop its nationwide roll-out next month.
Mr Macintosh was not available for comment yesterday.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The Named Person policy being set into law is directly tied to the experience of Highland and other areas and ensures that every child and family has the same level of service that those families have in Highland.’
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