Sorry, little girl, I cannot see you across the road - I haven't got a certificate.

So now the full impact of the Government's Vetting and Barring Scheme (see post dated 17/7/09) is becoming apparent. Parents who regularly transport other people's children to school or to out of school activities will be caught by it, as will it seems those who take part in student exchange programmes. And what about "sleep-overs"? Government spokespersons put forward a persuasive case that the safety of children is paramount, but it seems to me that the whole thing is based on an underlying presumption that everybody (or more probably, every man) is a potential child abuser and must be treated as such unless and until proved not to be so. And where do we stop? What happens (and be sure it will happen, sooner or later) when someone who has been vetted and accepted goes on to abuse or kill a child? What's the next step on the ladder? All children to be removed from parents at birth and brought up in "Brave New World" hatcheries where adults cannot get at them? The road to hell is paved with good intentions...