Philip Pullman, Anne Fine, Anthony Horowitz, Michael Morpurgo andQuentin Blake told The Independent that they objected to having toregister on a database and would not be visiting any schools as aconsequence.
Vetting and Barring, which will be launched in July 2010, will requirethe registration of all those who work with children and vulnerableadults. The system will hold information about criminal convictions, aswell as 'soft intelligence' relating to the unsuitability of individualsto work with children (Analysis, 1 July).
Mr Pullman, author of His Dark Materials, said, 'I've been going intoschools as an author for more than 20 years, and on no occasion have Iever been alone with a child. The idea that I have become more of athreat and I need to be vetted is ludicrous and insulting. Thisreinforces the culture of suspicion, fear and mistrust that underlies agreat deal of present-day society.'
Ms Fine, a former Children's Laureate, said, 'Our children will becomefurther impoverished by this tiresome and ill-considered scheme, and yetanother gulf will be created between young people and the rest ofsociety.'
