SCOTTISH Labour leader Johann Lamont has called for a public inquiry into the protection of vulnerable children following the death of Declan Hainey who was murdered by his mother.

Ms Lamont, making her debut as leader at First Minister's Questions, said: "We need to ensure the rhetoric heard in Holyrood reflects the reality of Scottish life. When the First Minister was asked about a tragic case two years ago, the death of Brandon Muir, he assured us that the system for protecting children was 'systematic' and 'strenuous'.

"But the reality wasn't good enough for Brandon Muir, or for Declan Hainey, or for scores of children whose names we do not know but who are suffering now.

"The reality is that, across Scotland, we have social workers overburdened and the inevitability of children who have been abandoned by their parents being abandoned by a system that's supposed to care."

She demanded to know "what the First Minister has done in response to this tragic case".

"I'm asking this question as a mother, there are mothers across the country asking the same question," she added. "These children are hidden to the system, and I'm asking what can you do? Can you have an independent inquiry to how the child protection system is working?

"If we can have an independent inquiry we can work together to challenge this most awful of circumstances that is happening in our communities and make Scotland a better place for vulnerable children."

Mr Salmond claimed improvements to the existing inspection regime had been made as the result of an inquiry "looking at tragic individual cases and seeing how that reflected on the system across the country".

He said there was "substantial evidence that social work departments, as a result of the inspections and re-inspections, are performing better than they were before".

But he added no politician could guarantee tragedies such as the Declan Hainey case would never occur again.

Mr Salmond said: "Johann Lamont, if she is asking for a guarantee that there will never be a tragic circumstance, that no child will ever be in that circumstance, I can't give that guarantee. No politician can."

However, he added: "If she's asking the question what has been done by this Government, then the systematic improvement in inspection regimes validates what has been done by the Government."

Conservative health spokesman Jackson Carlaw said early intervention was vital and urged an increase in the number of health visitors as the first point of contact for young families.

It later emerged that a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) could be held into Declan Hainey's death.

The matter will be reported to the Crown Office Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit.

It will then be referred to Crown Counsel to consider whether an FAI should be held.