[Guinness]

Talk about using a hammer to break an egg.

This legislation actually takes the premise of guilty until proved innocent. People should also bear in mind that the CRB check is flawed in the fact that your name stays on this register if you have had an allegation of abuse against you and been proved innocent.

a) the majority of child abuse is done within the family, this legislation will therefore not protect the majority of children

b) this legislation is a direct result of the inquiry into the Huntley case and although it would have stopped him getting the job of caretaker it would not have stopped the tragedy since he got access to the children through his girlfriend not through his job

When my kids were growing up, they had their friends round to stay overnight on a regular basis and vice versa, it was mine (or the wifes) responsibility to check out the suitability, informal chat with the parents, asking friends if they knew the parents etc... I didn't need this nonsense to protect my kids, in other words I protected them myself by using my head. I didn't leave them in a hotel room while I went drinking with my friends either!

The government is encouraging car sharing to ease traffic flow at peak school run times, then makes it more difficult by bringing in nonsense like this.

As an aside, does this legislation cover priests?