‘Avalanche of court actions’ claim refuted

NAMED PERSON: Scottish Government denies that public bodies could be sued

The Scottish Government has dismissed claims that public bodies could be sued following its named person scheme being ruled unlawful.

Campaigners had claimed an “avalanche of court actions” could be faced following the decision by Supreme Court judges.

Pilot schemes had been operating in council areas, including Fife and Angus.

Simon Calvert, of the No to Named Persons (NO2NP) campaign, said: “It is not beyond the realms of possibility that many parents will now come forward to take legal action against the Government for these illegal actions and breaching data protection regulations, not to mention their human rights.”

But a Scottish Government spokesperson hit back: “The Supreme Court’s ruling requires changes to be made specifically to the information sharing provisions of the 2014 Act, which have not yet commenced. Obviously the judgment does not relate to current practice in relation to information sharing. “

A Fife Council spokeswoman said it was “not accurate” to say every child in the kingdom has the equivalent of a named person as full responsibilities would only being implemented when the Act comes into being.

That cannot be done until ministers address the fact that part of the legislation breaks Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights.