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Children's tsar opposes post cut Children's tsar 'overstating job'
(about 14 hours later)
The Scottish Children's Commissioner has objected to proposals to scrap the post in its current form. Scotland's Children's Commissioner has been accused of exaggerating her role to prevent it being abolished.
Kathleen Marshall said young people's issues were not well enough understood to be addressed under a proposed new "rights commissioner". Kathleen Marshall has opposed plans to merge her post, creating a single commissioner to deal with rights.
Scottish Parliament bosses plan to halve the number of Holyrood-funded Scottish "tsars", from six to three. The move is part of proposals by Scottish Parliament bosses to halve the number of Holyrood-funded Scottish "tsars", from six to three.
The new set-up aims to cut costs, while still keeping all the current commissioner functions. Mr Marshall told MSPs that young people's voices would be drowned out under the new set-up.
Ms Marshall, who is standing down from her post in April, at the end of her current term, said it was worth looking at commissioners sharing administrative services. Appearing before a special parliamentary committee looking into the issue, she insisted young people identified with her service.
Sharing 'reservations' "I'm not suggesting that we have no sympathy for children and young people, but I believe there is a distinct danger that children's voices will be drowned in the clamour of adult concerns for their own futures," she said.
But she warned that the people she represents needed their own voice. I fear we would lose something valuable that we've put a lot of investment into Kathleen MarshallScottish children's commissioner
She said: "Children's relative powerlessness renders them vulnerable to ill-treatment by adults." "This is especially significant given that children have no vote, no political power and are a shrinking proportion of an ageing population."
In a submission to the special parliament committee looking into the issue, Ms Marshall stated: "Children's rights are not well enough known or understood to be mainstreamed in our society." But SNP MSP Jamie Hepburn said that, short of appointing a child to the role, any organisation would have to reach out to young people from an adult's viewpoint.
She added: "I believe children and young people will find it difficult to identify with an adult-orientated body." And Labour's Johann Lamont told Ms Marshall: "I feel you've overstated the role of commissioner in order to make your case."
But Ms Marshall, who is standing down as Children's Commissioner in April, said: "I fear we would lose something valuable that we've put a lot of investment into and is just now really beginning to take off. I think that would be very sad."
There are currently six "tsars": the public services ombudsman, the information commissioner, the standards commissioner, the children's commissioner, the public appointments commissioner and a Scottish human rights commission.There are currently six "tsars": the public services ombudsman, the information commissioner, the standards commissioner, the children's commissioner, the public appointments commissioner and a Scottish human rights commission.
They employ 96 staff in total. They employ 96 staff in total, but the proposed changes aim to cut costs, while still keeping all the current commissioner functions.
Under the reforms, one would be responsible for complaints and standards, the second would deal with questions of rights, while the information commissioner would be retained as a separate post.Under the reforms, one would be responsible for complaints and standards, the second would deal with questions of rights, while the information commissioner would be retained as a separate post.
Information commissioner Kevin Dunion, who is giving evidence to the special committee, along with Ms Marshall, said he had reservations about sharing services with other officer holders which came under his jurisdiction. Also giving evidence to the committee, Information Commissioner Kevin Dunion, expressed reservations about a suggestion to share administrative services with other officer holders which came under his jurisdiction.
"It would almost certainly colour public perception as to the relationship between the commissioner and any of those office-holders who were the subject of an appeal by a dissatisfied applicant for information," his submission to the committee stated.