A Perth and Kinross councillor has spoke of his shock that he and his fellow representatives were prevented from debating a controversial survey before it was issued to local pupils.
Last year the children and young people’s commissioner for Scotland called for the Scottish Government’s health and wellbeing survey to be postponed.
The survey - issued to P5 to S6 pupils - asks S4 to S6 pupils explicit questions about their sexual experience and each year group’s survey can now be seen online.
Some local authorities brought the matter before councillors for debate, some chose not to issue the survey and others have chosen to remove some questions.
In Perth and Kinross the surveys have been issued in their entirety and councillors were not given an opportunity to debate the matter.
Perth and Kinross schools began issuing the survey to pupils last year and will continue to do so over the course of this school year.
PKC has said each survey is “appropriate to the school stage of the pupils” and no questions regarding sexual relationships are being put to primary school pupils.
Parents/carers are being advised in advance with the option for them and their children to opt out.
PKC has told parents/carers: “No one other than a small team of analysts and IT support staff within your local authority will see your child’s answers. These staff are trained to keep data safe, confidential and anonymous.”
However, Carse of Gowrie councillor Alasdair Bailey feels it is “misleading” to say the surveys are anonymous when pupils are asked to give their Scottish Candidate Number.
In December the children’s commissioner said a number of concerns had been raised by local authorities and asked the Scottish Government to pause the roll-out “until it can address the concerns raised and ensure a rights compliant process.”
The commissioner said: “Any survey conducted in schools needs to be administered using an approach that respects young people’s rights, including their right to privacy and right to give informed consent.
“We are concerned that the survey collects the pupil’s Scottish Candidate Number and young people need to be made aware that this may allow them to be identified. “
This week Cllr Bailey was contacted by concerned parents.
The Labour councillor said: “I’m really concerned both that this survey asks for information that a government has no right to know and that government will retain the ability to link the responses back to individual people via the Scottish Candidate Number.
“It’s a fundamental breach of our kids’ right to a private life.
“The children and young people’s commissioner for Scotland called for this survey to be postponed whilst their own concerns were addressed but the Scottish Government and Perth and Kinross Council have ploughed ahead regardless.
“I’m therefore shocked that the Conservative administration at Perth and Kinross didn’t bring this matter to the chamber for full and proper debate.
“Their colleagues at Holyrood protested about it and other councils have used their powers to either remove some of the most sensitive questions or decline to have kids complete the survey at all.”
The PA asked Perth and Kinross Council and lifelong learning convener Conservative councillor Caroline Shiers to respond to Cllr Bailey’s comments.
A response was given by a PKC spokesperson who said: “All Scottish councils - including Perth and Kinross - have been asked to take part in the census and make the survey available to P5-S6 pupils during the current school year.
“The survey covers a range of themes and topics, allocated appropriately by school stage.
“Councils have the choice to add or remove survey questions if they wish; Perth and Kinross Council is using the survey as provided to councils by the Scottish Government.
“In terms of pupils, schools are not distributing the questions beforehand as this may potentially influence young people in the views they express.
“They can skip sections of the questionnaire where that is required and they will also be routed around questions that are not relevant to them.”
