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The SNP has been accused of making a u-turn on the issue of child protection. The Liberal Democrats claimed that while in opposition Nicola Sturgeon - now the Deputy First Minister in the Scottish Government - had called for all those on the sex offenders register to also be put on another list, which bars them from working with children. But children's minister Adam Ingram said he did not think the government would be introducing any such legislation. He was pressed on the issue after he made a statement on child protection to MSPs in the Scottish Parliament. Lib Dem education spokesman Jeremy Purvis raised the issue with Mr Ingram, pointing out that there were currently some 226 people on the Disqualified from Working with Children list in Scotland. And he said: "Last year Nicola Sturgeon had called for anyone on the sex offenders register to be placed on this list, making it an offence for them to apply for a job working with children." But he said there was no mention of this in a consultation on secondary legislation to establish a new vetting and barring system to protect children and vulnerable groups that was announced today by Mr Ingram. Mr Purvis asked the children's minister: "Is it still the intention of the government to bring forward legislation?" Mr Ingram told him: "No, I don't believe so. I think we have all the legislation in place in terms of the primary legislation and the secondary legislation is out to consultation at the moment." Afterwards Mr Purvis said: "The SNP have performed a major u- turn on their position on the barring list of people forbidden, by law, to work with children. In opposition the now Deputy First Minister attacked the Executive for not extending the barring list to include everyone on the sex offenders register."
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