Child hearings

I find it extraordinary that in a time of inevitable public spending cutbacks the Scottish Government should still be planning to break up the Children's Hearings system and re-assemble it by creating yet another "quango" (draft bill introduced to Parliament on 24 February) ie a new "Children's Hearings Scotland" organisation headed by a "National Convenor" to run along side the existing Scottish Children's Reporter Administration.

The system run well for years, and although it would be foolish not to accept some changes are needed, these could have been implemented using existing secondary legislation and not destroying what was there.

Children's minister Adam Ingram again says the new system "will mean better outcomes for children through more consistent decision making (by Children's Panels]"; by implication suggesting that Panel Members have been making inconsistent decision in the past. To my knowledge (I used to be a member) it has never been an issue within the system and was never raised with Panel Members of Advisory Committees prior to bringing forward this bill.

BOB BERTRAM

Main Street

Pathhead, Midlothian