Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin. Once upon a time, if you wanted children to read, you gave them books. These days, if you want children to read, you give them a literacy commission.

Ian Rankin, author of the highly successful Rebus novels and a father of two boys, is the newest recruit to Labour’s latest quango. The Literacy Commission will attempt to drag the reading skills of children up from the appalling levels to which they fell under the Labour government.

In more than half of Glasgow’s secondary schools, most S2 pupils fail to reach basic standards in writing, while in one in three of its schools more than half of S2 pupils do not achieve required levels in reading. About 10,000 Scottish children a year leave school unable to read or write much beyond the odd graffitied expletive.

Last year, an international study revealed that the literacy levels of Scottish primary school children had plummeted. Of 45 nations surveyed, Scotland plunged from 14th place to 26th place in just five years, a period that coincided with Labour’s spell in office. England fell in the rankings from 3rd place to 19th place. All of this has taken place against the biggest phenomenon in children’s literature since Enid Blyton: the publication of the Harry Potter novels by a Scottish-based author.

It seems odd that having failed to address declining standards when they were in a position to do something about them, Labour — neutered and ineffective when in opposition — believe they can change things now. Perhaps Inspector Rebus will be able to figure it out. Rankin’s appointment to the Commission certainly gives Wendy Alexander some much-needed credibility. You do rather wonder what sort of yarn she spun to get him on board.

The decline in literacy in Scotland is, inevitably and depressingly, routinely blamed on poverty and deprivation. Illiterate adults spawn illiterate children, or so the theory goes. This is a huge insult to the many parents who, while they may have poor reading skills themselves, make huge efforts to ensure their children can read and write. Four generations ago, the bulk of the adult population in Scotland had poor literacy but they had the foresight to see that education was the route to advancement.

It also lets feckless and neglectful parents off the hook. I can’t play a musical instrument but that doesn’t mean to say my children can’t. According to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, the most literate youngsters in the world are from Russia — not a country associated with great affluence.

Assuming there are no underlying causes of illiteracy, such as dyslexia or learning disability, there are only two things children need to be able to read: literature and encouragement. I’ve yet to meet a pre-school child who didn’t love a story or a six-month-old baby who didn’t get excited about a picture book. It’s hard not to share the triumph of a child who has managed to read his or her first proper book all by themselves.

At my daughter’s school, literacy levels rose — especially among boys — when the headmaster ended formal reading homework for children from primary four upwards and replaced it with 20 minutes of reading of the child’s choice per night. Magazines, comics and football annuals were all acceptable. Parents were told that the aim was to present reading as an enjoyable activity and to encourage a basic level of competency.

What is so discouraging, however, is the way that fostering basic literacy has become an end goal for politicians, when it is really just the equivalent of reaching base camp. An improvement in literacy statistics is nothing to write home about if all you have done is educate teenagers to the point where they can read nothing more challenging than Heat magazine.

Rankin has pointed out that he spent much of his childhood reading comics, and it wasn’t until he was older that he progressed to books. But there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of thought about how to encourage children to make the transition from Charlotte Church to Charlotte Bronte.

In the past, the ability to read was a means, not an end. It was a skill that allowed children access to great literature. These days it is a goal which, once achieved, allows politicians to tick the boxes and parade the statistics.

I was educated in an era in which teachers worked to rule, when sporting fixtures were cancelled and after-school activities didn’t exist. But we did have a school library and a school librarian who expected us to read a novel from a different genre at least once a fortnight. In the intervening decades, school libraries have given way to “resource centres” and librarians have lost out to “information technology specialists”. All too often school libraries are under-funded and under-used.

According to the charity Booktrust, one in 20 primary schools ban children from taking books out on loan, while half are closed at break and lunchtime. Others are used as dumping grounds for disruptive pupils or as an alternative sick bay. It is not uncommon for school libraries to have fewer books than pupils.

Last week it was revealed that £7m had been spent in Scotland on junior Asbos, yet only 14 had been given out, equivalent to £500,000 per hooligan. Had that money been spent on school libraries it could have made a real difference. Research from Pennsylvania earlier this month showed that schools which had the best reading scores spent twice as much on their school libraries as the lowest-scoring schools but that 75% of state schools had no library.

We don’t need a literacy commission to improve children’s reading skills and habits. If you want your children to read, read to them daily from an early age, give them great books, plenty of encouragement and the occasional kick up the backside. Switch off the screens half an hour before bedtime and send them to bed with a book. Most importantly, set an example and read yourself. There are volumes of difference between literacy levels and literature.