Children's tsar 'overstating job'

Ms Marshall said children needed their own voice

Scotland's Children's Commissioner has been accused of exaggerating her role to prevent it being abolished.

Kathleen Marshall has opposed plans to merge her post, creating a single commissioner to deal with rights.

The move is part of proposals by Scottish Parliament bosses to halve the number of Holyrood-funded Scottish "tsars", from six to three.

Mr Marshall told MSPs that young people's voices would be drowned out under the new set-up.

Appearing before a special parliamentary committee looking into the issue, she insisted young people identified with her service.

"I'm not suggesting that we have no sympathy for children and young people, but I believe there is a distinct danger that children's voices will be drowned in the clamour of adult concerns for their own futures," she said.

I fear we would lose something valuable that we've put a lot of investment into Kathleen Marshall Scottish children's commissioner

"This is especially significant given that children have no vote, no political power and are a shrinking proportion of an ageing population."

But SNP MSP Jamie Hepburn said that, short of appointing a child to the role, any organisation would have to reach out to young people from an adult's viewpoint.

And Labour's Johann Lamont told Ms Marshall: "I feel you've overstated the role of commissioner in order to make your case."

But Ms Marshall, who is standing down as Children's Commissioner in April, said: "I fear we would lose something valuable that we've put a lot of investment into and is just now really beginning to take off. I think that would be very sad."

There are currently six "tsars": the public services ombudsman, the information commissioner, the standards commissioner, the children's commissioner, the public appointments commissioner and a Scottish human rights commission.

They employ 96 staff in total, but the proposed changes aim to cut costs, while still keeping all the current commissioner functions.

Under the reforms, one would be responsible for complaints and standards, the second would deal with questions of rights, while the information commissioner would be retained as a separate post.

Also giving evidence to the committee, Information Commissioner Kevin Dunion, expressed reservations about a suggestion to share administrative services with other officer holders which came under his jurisdiction.

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