§ Mr. GorrieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what resources are allocated by the Scottish Office for(a) monitoring performance regarding children's rights and (b) enabling young people's views to be represented in planning and policy making processes involving (i) the Scottish Office and (ii) local authorities. [24952]
§ Mr. GalbraithThe Scottish Office allocated £276,000 for the current financial year under the Social Work Grants Programme to voluntary organisations dealing with children's rights and interests. As part of my remit as Minister with responsibility for children, I will be considering the terms of a Child Strategy Statement designed to ensure that policy development across the Scottish Office takes due account of any likely effect on children's interests. I expect to issue a copy of this document to local authorities and other relevant groups. I am aware also of the Connect Youth Initiative and proposals from Save the Children Fund in Scotland, both of which seek to find effective ways of allowing the views of children and young people to be heard on a wide range of issues that affect them.
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