Press briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Davos, Adoption Law and Prisons
Davos
Asked what the Prime Minister’s speech in Davos would cover, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) replied that there were 3 big issues at Davos, climate change, Africa and trade. These were familiar issues and could be directly linked to Gleneagles and through to the German Presidency of the EU. The Prime Minister would be giving the last speech at Davos this year, which traditionally gave an overview of global affairs.
Adoption Law
Asked if Catholic adoption agencies only placed children with Catholic couples, the PMOS replied that it was his understanding that this was not the case but advised the journalist to speak to the Catholic agencies.
Asked if the Prime Minister started in a position of wanting an exemption for Catholic agencies, the PMOS replied that the Prime Minister’s starting point in all of this was not the device that should be used, but the outcome to be achieved. The outcome to be achieved was firstly an end to discrimination, and secondly not to dissipate or dilute the expertise that the Catholic agencies had developed in dealing with the most hard to place children. That expertise was not just about how to get hard to place children adopted, but the follow through aftercare to ensure that the adoption actually worked. As the Head of the British Adoption Agency had said this morning, this aftercare could last for some time. Those two objectives were at the heart of the Prime Minister’s approach. Anything else was simply a mechanism to achieve that end.
Asked if there had been any discussion between the Prime Minster and Cabinet with the Scottish Executive on this issue, the PMOS replied that discrimination policy was made on a UK wide basis. Further put to him that in December the Scottish Executive had passed an adoption bill, the PMOS replied that in terms of UK discrimination law, London made the laws. As for contacts between London and Scotland, it was not his habit to get into commenting on those matters either.
Asked to establish whether the Prime Minister went in to bat thinking that he wanted an exemption and had since changed his position, or did he go in to bat saying that the Catholics had a concern which we needed to look at, the PMOS replied that the Prime Minister went in to bat to end discrimination, but also in the process not to dilute the expertise available to children, or to those who adopted hard to place children. It was the end that was more important than the means.
Put to him that since one of the Prime Minister’s aims was not to dilute the expertise, did this not mean that this was something that would be used in the long term, not just during a transitional period, the PMOS replied that the question was a fair one but to answer it would mean getting into discussions that were going on in the background. That would not be helpful at this stage. The Prime Minister was more interested in getting a result.
Asked if there would be a free vote on this issue, the PMOS replied that there would not be a free vote as this was a Government matter and a Government piece of legislation.
Prisons
Asked for information about the Home Secretary’s plans to use a military camp in the north of England, the PMOS replied that he did not have any further details and referred the journalist to the Home Office.
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