Commissioner for Children

HC Deb 22 April 2002 vol 384 c108W

Ms Shipley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he plans to introduce a Commissioner for Children in England. [45958]

Jacqui Smith

The Government take the needs of children very seriously and are committed to improving safeguards for children. We are following with interest the developments both in Wales—where a Commissioner has already been appointed—and in Northern Ireland, where a similar course is being followed. We are committed to learning all the lessons from these initiatives that prove relevant to England. We have made major advances through the establishment of the Children and Young People's Unit, and the appointment of Dr. Roger Morgan as the Children's Rights Director and Professor Al Aynsley-Green as the National Clinical Director for Children.