Scottish Parliament diary: The latest from Holyrood

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill today rejected calls for a Victims Commissioner. Picture: Phil Wilkinson

In Wednesday’s video round-up, the Health and Sport Committee calls for a new national strategy to tackle teenage pregnancy, the Finance Secretary, John Swinney MSP, sets out Government spending and the Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill MSP, makes the case for a Victims and Witnesses Bill.

MacAskill rejects Victims Commissioner calls

CALLS for a dedicated Victims Commissioner to be established have been rejected by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill.

He insisted setting up such a post would duplicate the “excellent” work of existing victim support groups and would create an “extra layer of bureaucracy”.

The Labour party has called for a commissioner in Scotland to act as an independent champion for victims of crime.

But Mr MacAskill has now told MSPs that he does not believe the case has been made for such a post.

He said Holyrood’s Justice Committee stated that “a compelling case has not been made in relation to the establishment of a Victims Commissioner”.

The Justice Secretary said: “This is a view I share, along with several victim support organisations including Victim Support Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid.

“Given the excellent work carried out by our victim support organisations in Scotland, I continue to believe that the establishment of such a post would simply be a duplication of effort and an extra layer of bureaucracy.”

Consider free condoms for kids aged 13, say MSPs

FREE contraception for pupils as young as 13 should be looked at as part of a drive to cut Scotland’s chronic teenage pregnancy rates, MSPs have said.

Sex education in the classroom should also be taught at an earlier age to raise awareness among youngsters, according to a report by Holyrood’s health and sport committee.

The report says a new national strategy is needed to tackle teenage pregnancy in Scotland which has among the highest rates in western Europe.

The Scottish Government is also being asked to look into the way sex education is taught in Catholic schools in the west of Scotland after concerns were raised that some youngsters are “disadvantaged” by not being presented with the full picture.

Health committee convener Duncan McNeill said: “Scotland has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Western Europe, which has a long-lasting impact on generations of young parents and their children. This is why this committee is calling for a new strategy to tackle teenage pregnancy.

“Improved access to contraception or better access to high-quality sexual health education won’t in itself tackle our rates of teenage pregnancy. Our committee is confident that implementing this package of measures will bring about the step-change we need to make a real difference.”