Children and young people gave government ‘pause for thought’ – Swinney

A cabinet takeover by children and young people gave the government “significant pause for thought” on issues including vaping, climate change and gender-based violence, First Minister John Swinney has said.

The First Minister was speaking on Tuesday at the eighth annual cabinet takeover by members of the Children’s Parliament and Scottish Youth Parliament.

Mr Swinney said the session gave rise to a “really stimulating discussion” about a range of issues proposed by children and young people, which he said his government would “consider and act upon”.

In particular he said that as a male first minister he felt he had to “exercise some leadership” on the problem of gender-based violence, saying this arose from the “behaviour of men”.

Mr Swinney said: “The cabinet meets once a year with children and young people from the Children’s Parliament and the Scottish Youth Parliament to discuss issues, crucially, that are suggested and proposed by children and young people.

“So it’s vital that they set the agenda and that government responds to that agenda, and we’ve had a really stimulating discussion in a very different format.

“But we’ve heard first hand from children and young people about big issues that they’re concerned around, around climate action, around mental wellbeing of children and young people, around gender-based violence, around the importance of youth work, around about the issue of vaping and the impact on the health of young people.

“So all these questions have been aired, and we’ve had a really stimulating discussion, and the government will consider and act upon the issues we’ve discussed.”

Mr Swinney said the young people had “suggested a number of interventions” for government, including, he said, around “climate action” and the way the government communicates its messages about climate change.

“There was quite a lot of material that we discussed in relation to gender-based violence, which as a male First Minister, I feel I’ve got to do something about,” he said.

“The problem with gender-based violence in our society is the behaviour of men. So as a male First Minister, I can exercise some leadership on that question, and I intend to.

“So I think the young people have really given us significant pause for thought.”