Lord Mayor Chairs Child Abuse Probe

Belfast Telegraph
September 5, 2014

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/lord-mayor-chairs-child-abuse-probe-30564782.html

Fiona Woolf is a lawyer and lord mayor of the City of London

The lord mayor of the City of London, Fiona Woolf, has been named as the chair of the independent inquiry commissioned by the Government into historic child sex abuse.

Ms Woolf, a leading tax lawyer, takes the place of Baroness Butler-Sloss, who stepped down days after being appointed to chair the inquiry in July, after questions were raised over potential conflicts of interest as her brother Lord Havers was attorney general at the time of some of the events to be investigated.

Professor Alexis Jay, author of the recent report into abuse in Rotherham, will act as an expert adviser to the panel, said the Home Office.

The inquiry, announced by Home Secretary Theresa May on July 7, will examine how the country's institutions handled their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse over a period of decades.

It was prompted by allegations that figures in Westminster and Whitehall were implicated in covering up child sex abuse, and that police and other authorities did not properly investigate prominent offenders such as Jimmy Savile and Cyril Smith.

Mrs Woolf will be assisted by Graham Wilmer, a child sexual abuse victim and founder of the Lantern Project, as well as former deputy chief executive of the National Children's Bureau Barbara Hearn. Ben Emmerson QC will serve as counsel to the inquiry.

Mrs May said: "In recent years, we have seen appalling cases of organised and persistent child sex abuse which have exposed serious failings by public bodies and important institutions.

"These failings have sent shockwaves through the country and shaken public confidence in the pillars of society in which we should have total trust.

"That is why the Government has announced that an independent panel of experts will consider whether such organisations have taken seriously their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse.

"We are absolutely clear that we must learn the lessons of past failures and the panel will be instrumental in helping us to do this.

"I am pleased to announce today that Fiona Woolf has been appointed to lead this inquiry. I look forward to an update on the panel's progress in due course."

Mrs Woolf, 66, a City solicitor and former president of the Law Society of England and Wales, said: "Ensuring lessons are learned from the mistakes which have been made in the past and resulted in children being subjected to the most horrific crimes is a vital and solemn undertaking.