Education and Skills Bill

I rise briefly to support Amendment No. 50. This seems to me to be a constructive and positive approach to intervening with a young person who is showing all the signs of not complying with the provisions of Clause 2. It gives him or her some standing to have a contract. He or she has never had one before. Parents will take an interest in something like that and if, as I would hope, young people who are clearly heading into difficulty have a mentor to help them, this is the kind of document that would give a basis of reference for discussions and encouragement and going to the local authority and saying, ““You are not doing your part adequately””. If there is to be an element of compulsion, I welcome this as an important step to try and avoid the need for it.