§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he proposes appointing a children's commissioner for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the Commissioner for Wales. [83219]
§ Mr. DenhamResponsibility for appointing a children's commissioner rests with the devolved Administrations—my responsibility in this regard is solely for England.
The Northern Ireland Assembly have drafted a Bill to establish a children's commissioner, and following the suspension of the Assembly in Stormont, this Bill is expected to pass through Westminster as an Order-in-Council before March 2003. A Bill is expected to be published soon to establish a children's commissioner in Scotland.
As far as England is concerned, the possibility of establishing a children's commissioner is still under consideration. We are considering what role a Commissioner or Ombudsman-type function could play in achieving cultural and political change. There is no one model of a commissioner being developed in the UK—we are seeing in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland three different approaches to the idea. Of the UK's 14 million children, 11.9 million of those live in England, and we would need to be sure that any new structure added value to the existing mechanisms in place for children.
The Commissioner for Wales is due to publish his first annual report on 28 November, and I look forward with interest to reading about his work over his first year in post.