The information provided by the Council of Europe, which of course does not reflect the notifications we have received from the Government, describes the legal cases which have been taken against the proposals made by some of those states and which have in fact been found to be in contravention of the very convention I am talking about.
Secondly:
“Age assessment should not take place without the child’s and their guardian’s informed consent”.
How will that consent be provided and how is it meant to be independent?
Thirdly:
“Children undergoing age assessment have a right to be informed of their rights during the procedure, the purpose, steps and duration of the procedure, and to be assisted by a legal representative and/or guardian”.
What steps are the Government taking to provide that support for these children, so we are clear about it?
In conclusion, “sub-optimal” is the word provided by our Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee. Everything that has been said about what we have in this House today suggests that it is below optimal.