The legislation which will usher in the Named Person scheme should be repealed, a former SNP leader has said.

Gordon Wilson, who led the SNP from 1979 to 1990, was speaking ahead of a motion put forward by the Scottish Conservatives at Holyrood which calls on the scheme to be "paused".

The former Dundee East MP says the SNP shouldn't back the motion for a pause but should go one step further and scrap the full scheme.

Wilson said: "Wilson said: "The SNP government is right to kick out the cynical political amendment calling for a pause in implementation of the Named Person legislation lodged by the Scottish Conservatives opposition. It does not go far enough.

"It would be better to go for straightforward repeal. When two-thirds of the population object to it as intrusion into family life, political common sense accepts that stubborn refusal to act will only cause long term political grief."

Wilson, who was served as a prosecutor in juvenile courts, pointed to the Children's Panel as a solution to child protection concerns.

He said: "That should be solution to the real problems of child safety.

"Teachers, social workers, health workers and the public could refer their worries to the Reporter and the Children's Panels for scrutiny and action."

Speaking earlier this week, education secretary John Swinney defended the policy from criticism from the Scottish Conservatives.

The education secretary, who also serves as deputy first minister, criticised the "hysterical" approach taken by the Tories and pledged to "build confidence" in the Named Person scheme.

Swinney said: "The Tories gave a clear commitment in their manifesto to argue for the repeal of the Named Person legislation.

"If they try to dress this up as a 'pause' they are either backtracking on their election commitment or are playing politics with this important issue.

"It seems increasingly clear that the Tory election campaign was based on a hysterical and exaggerated misrepresentation of a serious issue."

He continued: "We will work to show positively the purpose and importance of the Named Person proposal and will work with other political parties interested in seriously advancing preventative action to support children.

"We will work with stakeholders to build confidence in Named Person after its misrepresentation by the Conservatives during the election campaign".

The scheme will cover all children from their birth until their 18th birthday. It is due to be introduced on August 31.