§ Mr. WoodwardTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the benchmark criteria his Department uses to evaluate the performance of the children's commissioner for Wales for the purpose of considering and evaluating the need for the creation of a children's commissioner for England. [29330]
§ Jacqui SmithAll parts of the United Kingdom are united in a common aim to improve safeguards for children. However, devolution means that we can each take different paths to achieve that common goal.
We are committed to learning the lessons from the Welsh experience of appointing a children's commissioner that prove relevant to England. To this end, departmental officials will continue to liaise with officials in the National Assembly for Wales, in order specifically 1092W complete this work as early as possible this year to enable swift agreement with a view to starting implementation at the earliest possible opportunity.