Children Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 6:45 pm on 6 May 2004.

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Photo of Lord Elton Lord Elton Conservative 6:45, 6 May 2004

I take it that this is a different report from the annual report that one would expect. It is an imaginative addition to the expectation of an annual report that would encourage the commissioner to look at the framework in which he or she is working in a critical and constructive way. That is not always the case when people operate under this sort of arrangement.

I wondered whether a refinement would be to require all the Children's Commissioners to conduct a consultation and a single report at the end of the period, so that they could compare the relative performance under the different legislative requirements that they at present have.

I also cannot resist noticing the regularity that is required of the report. I recall what was said a little earlier today about what had been said in another place about the Welsh commissioner. I think that the regularity will be a reassurance to the Minister. The fact that it is triennial and that the Welsh Children's Commissioner was upbraided, we understand, for producing only one report in three years may cause her some thought. Basically, I think that this is an imaginative idea, which I hope will be taken up.