John Swinney says he is minister responsible for named person

credit –Scottish government flckr 

Deputy First Minister John Swinney has accepted that he is the cabinet secretary responsible for building trust in the named person scheme.

Swinney told the Scottish Parliament's education committee that he believes it remains the "correct policy", as “it is a policy enshrined in the ethos of getting it right for every child”.

The policy, which would assign a named person to everyone under the age of 18 in Scotland, was originally meant to be rolled out on 31 August, 2016.

RELEATED CONTENT 

John Swinney says August 2017 start for named person

Named Person provision suspended        

Swinney revealed last week that the introduction of the child protection policy would be delayed by a year until August 2017.

Implementation of the plan was halted after the UK's Supreme Court ruled that data sharing provisions were unlawful.

Swinney, who is also Scotland’s education secretary,  told the committee: "The question of public trust and confidence in the system is a point that I accept unreservedly.

"The importance of tackling that I accept unreservedly. I accept that responsibility.

"It is important that ministers are able to properly and fully build public confidence in what, I think, is the correct policy."

The policy, which would assign a named person to everyone under the age of 18 in Scotland, was originally meant to be rolled out on 31 August, 2016.

However, the Supreme Court said that the plan to have a named professional for every child in Scotland breaches rights to privacy and a family life under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Scottish Government then moved to halt the planned implementation until amendments to the Children and Young People Act were made.