Clause 20
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill [Lords]
2:30 pm
Parmjit Dhanda (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Children, Young People and Families), Department for Education and Skills; Gloucester, Labour)
I am disappointed with some of the comments from Opposition Front-Bench spokesmen, who must either have got out of bed on the wrong side or have a short memory about safeguarding when they were in power. The hon. Lady has a short memory, too, in respect of the debate on Second Reading, when she was prevented from reading from a report because it had been leaked to her. She was selective then and she is selective now about what that report said. It actually said that a lot of good work was taking place in schools and that they are far safer places than they used to be. However, a lot of work needs to be done on checking records. If the hon. Lady wants to play political games on an issue that I felt had some level of all-party support, that is a matter for her.