Angela Constance Vows to Put Best Person in Charge of Child Abuse Inquiry: "We Might Be Late but We Will Be Right"
By Marion Scott
EDUCATION Secretary Angela Constance yesterday vowed to put the best person in charge of a public inquiry into child abuse in Scotland. She made the pledge 24 hours after she was criticised by victims for delaying the appointment. Constance had been expected to announce which judge would be spearheading the investigation into historical institutional child abuse by the end of the month. But she revealed last week there will be no announcement until after May’s general election, sparking anger among abuse survivors. Yesterday she reassured victims that the Scottish Government was on their side and promised whoever is in charge will get it right. Constance said: “No child should ever have to suffer at the hands of those in a position of trust. “That so many of our most vulnerable children had their childhoods cruelly taken from them through the abuse endured in institutional care is a national scandal and we’ll do everything we can to make sure this never happens again. “We must always be on the side of survivors of abuse, we will give them the voice and the opportunity for justice that they have fought for so tirelessly. “That’s why I committed from the outset to an independent inquiry with the full statutory powers to compel witnesses and demand evidence. “Next month, subject to the agreement of Parliament, I intend to announce what the inquiry will look like and who will lead it. “We want, indeed, we need to get this right. “That’s why we have involved survivors in helping us develop the remit and make sure the chair is the right person to help survivors get the justice they deserve.” It’s understood the costs of the inquiry could top ?10million.
David Whelan, 56, who was sexually abused in the 70s by Quarriers carer John Porteous, known as the Beast of the Bellotower, said victims are demanding “no hiding place” for abusers or the organisations involved. The campaigner, who represents hundreds who claim they were abused at Quarriers, said: “We’ve been on a very long, painful journey. “But now we firmly believe steps are being finalised to ensure the truth of what happened to thousands of children in care will finally come out.” An inquiry into historical child sex abuse in England has been plagued with problems after two chairwomen picked to head the investigation were forced to step down. Lord Mayor of London Fiona Woolf resigned from the panel last October after her close links to Lord Leon Brittan emerged. Brittan, who died earlier this year, is expected to come under scrutiny. Her predecessor Barones Elizabeth Butler-Sloss also quit the investigation because of her family links. Her late brother Sir Michael Havers had been attorney general in the 1980s and his actions would have been subject to investigation by the inquiry. The inquiry is now being led by Justice Lowell Goddard.
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