Children and Young People’s Unit

Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:30 pm on 10 May 2010.

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Photo of Conall McDevitt Conall McDevitt Social Democratic and Labour Party 2:30, 10 May 2010

2. asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister if they sought the advice of the Northern Ireland Children’s Commissioner and the United Nations to determine whether the abolition of a dedicated children and young persons unit within their Department complies with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.         (AQO 1174/10)

Photo of Martin McGuinness Martin McGuinness Sinn Féin

A Cheann Comhairle, with your permission, I will ask junior Minister Kelly to respond to that question as well. He is earning his keep today.

Photo of Gerry Kelly Gerry Kelly Sinn Féin

Go raibh maith agat. The work of the children and young people’s unit will continue. It is a priority both in the Programme for Government and given our commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The restructuring that the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister has undergone has come about for two reasons: first, to provide a better service for our stakeholders by focusing on our core priorities; and, secondly, to enable us to do that in a more flexible manner. In short, we need the Department to be more strategic, effective and efficient than before. In developing our new structures, discussions took place with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Commissioner for Children and Young People.

The concluding observations of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in October 2008 recommended that:

“the State party — in addition to ensuring that each of the jurisdictions has a well resourced and functioning coordinating body — could allocate responsibility for the coordination and evaluation of the Convention across the State party to a single, high-profile mechanism.”

That position has not changed, and we continue to see the 10-year strategy for children and young people and the associated action plans as the main vehicles for taking forward the committee’s concluding observations here. We will keep the new structures under review, and, if changes are needed, our new, more flexible structures will enable us to make them.

Photo of Conall McDevitt Conall McDevitt Social Democratic and Labour Party

Do the deputy First Minister, the First Minister and, indeed, the junior Minister accept that such bodies and dedicated units still exist in Scotland and Wales and that section 4 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child requires the Executive to have a dedicated and specific team?

Photo of William Hay William Hay Speaker

I urge the Member to come to his question.

Photo of Conall McDevitt Conall McDevitt Social Democratic and Labour Party

Therefore, does the junior Minister accept that what happened was in breach of section 4 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child?

Photo of Gerry Kelly Gerry Kelly Sinn Féin

I do not accept that. In bringing forward recommendations on the proposed new organisational structure in the equality directorate and economic policy unit, consultants from the Department of Finance and Personnel’s delivery and innovation division were asked to meet a wide range of stakeholders to establish their views on the way in which the directorate currently operates and on how a combined directorate might best meet stakeholders’ needs. The themes that stakeholders identified during the consultation process centred on various elements, including the purpose of a combined equality directorate and economic policy unit; the capability and expertise of staff; resources; the use of stakeholder expertise; strategic prioritisation; communication and relationships with stakeholders; and comments on the MATRIX system. As part of that process, delivery and innovation division consultants met Patricia Lewsley, the Commissioner for Children and Young People, on 26 October 2009.

Photo of Gregory Campbell Gregory Campbell Shadow Minister (Transport), Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)

One of the rights of the child is to be free from the threat of sexual abuse. Does the junior Minister agree that it is essential that those who have been abused deserve the total support of all politicians in bringing their abusers to justice?

Photo of Gerry Kelly Gerry Kelly Sinn Féin

I am very pleased to agree with the Member. I think that the whole Assembly would agree that they deserve the support of all elected representatives and of society as a whole.

Photo of Martina Anderson Martina Anderson Sinn Féin

Go raibh maith agat. Returning to the junior Minister’s previous answer, was consultation carried out with stakeholders on the proposed organisational change?

Photo of Gerry Kelly Gerry Kelly Sinn Féin

In bringing forward recommendations on the proposed new organisational structure in the equality directorate and economic policy unit, consultants from the Department of Finance and Personnel’s delivery and innovation division were asked to meet a wide range of stakeholders to establish their views. Therefore, that consultation was carried out. I detailed the list of stakeholders who were consulted, so I will not go through it again.