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Theresa May opens way for beefed-up child sex abuse inquiry
By David Barrett
Theresa May, the Home Secretary, has indicated for the first time that she is prepared to go back to the drawing board over the controversial Government inquiry into historic child sex abuse. Members of the official inquiry panel set up by the Home Office said they were "devastated" that ministers were poised to scrap the existing set-up in the New Year. However, groups representing alleged victims of abuse welcomed the development and said they hoped the new inquiry would have tougher powers, including the ability to force witnesses to give evidence. In a letter to panel members Mrs May said she was considering a number of options, which would have "implications" for members. She said it might be an option to convert the current panel into a "statutory" inquiry with extra powers. But she went on to propose two alternatives which would both mean scrapping the existing set-up and starting again. Sharon Evans, a panel member from child safety group Dot Com Children's Foundation, said she had been told panel would be "stood down in the New Year". A Home Office spokesman said: "The Home Secretary is determined that appalling cases of child sexual abuse should be exposed so that perpetrators face justice and the vulnerable are protected. "She is absolutely committed to ensuring the Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has the confidence of survivors. "The Home Secretary is also clear that we have to balance the need to make progress with the need to get this right." Diana Johnson, a shadow Home Office minister, said: "Theresa May needs to take responsibility for the utter failure to get this vital work off the ground over such a long period." Last week Mrs May indicated to MPs that the inquiry could be re-formed as a Royal Commission. If this were to take place the commission would not have the power to compel witnesses but this could be included in a Royal warrant, although such a move has not been "legally tested", the Home Secretary said. Fiona Woolf, the head of the child sex abuse inquiry, resigned in October after questions were raised about her links with Lord (Leon) Brittan, whose role as home secretary in the Eighties is expected to come under scrutiny. The City lawyer, who is also Lord Mayor of London, was the second chairman to have to step down after the Home Office failed in both cases to properly investigate potential conflict of interest in their background. Baroness Butler-Sloss, a retired judge, resigned in July after it emerged her late brother had been attorney general during part of the period under examination and may have been involved in taking legal decisions connected with sex abuse allegations. Child abuse victims have criticised the Home Office's decision to impose a "cut off date" of 1970 on the inquiry, with at least one group suggesting that its investigations should go right back to the post-war period. The Home Secretary said she was willing to reconsider the inquiry's terms of reference, which could lead to it examining a longer period of time.
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