23rd October 2007
McNeil Keeps up Pressure with Call for
Drug Kids Safety Pledge
MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan
McNeil, wants to know what action the Scottish Government has taken to protect
children forced to live with drug abusing parents, following promises made to
him last month.
In
a bid to keep the pressure on senior Ministers to act, Mr McNeil, has tabled a
series of parliamentary questions and has written to three leading Cabinet
Secretaries, seeking details of what steps have been taken to date and asking
for their assurance that they are confident that effective protection systems
are now in place.
“A
series of tragic individual cases and damning official reports have exposed the
extent to which children living in drug abusing households are unidentified, and
therefore unprotected, by child protection and other services,” he said today.
“In the wake of each scandal, there has been an abundance of warm words
from the various Ministers, but we’ve not seen much actual action.
“In
his closing speech in the debate on drugs misuse on 6th September,
for example, the Justice Secretary assured me he would discuss the child
protection points I had raised with his Cabinet colleague responsible for
children's services. But, when I
asked him at Justice and Law Officers Questions on 27th September how
these discussions had gone, he had no progress or action to report.
“The
risks to children forced to live in the dangerous squalor of a drug abusing
household could scarcely be more grave. And, given the apparent inability of the authorities to
quantify, let alone address, the problem, I have made representations to the
relevant Cabinet Secretaries demanding that they reveal what action they’ve
actually taken.
“This
issue impacts on numerous policy areas – most notably child protection,
justice, health and local government – and hence numerous Ministerial
portfolios. Accordingly, I have
been arguing for a single Cabinet Secretary to show some leadership, take this
problem seriously and lead a concerted programme of Scottish Government action.
“I
have also tabled a series of parliamentary questions, asking exactly what
meetings have taken place between the Cabinet Secretaries and what progress has
been made towards improving communication and joint working between the
different agencies and services. Can
they assure us that effective systems are now in place to identify children
affected by drug misuse? Are they
confident that the Scottish Government is meeting the needs of such children?
And have they designated a lead Cabinet Secretary to co-ordinate and
drive forward the necessary action?”
ENDS
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