Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse Debate

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Department: Home Office

Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

Alistair Carmichael Excerpts
Monday 21st November 2016

(7 years, 5 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Sarah Newton Portrait Sarah Newton
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I thank my hon. Friend for his helpful question. Bringing us right up to date with the incredibly important work that we are doing to ensure that we keep children safe in our country, while addressing historical issues, is very important and it informs what we do now, but we leave no stone unturned in our determination to make sure that children are safe, including those children, as he rightly points out, who might be trafficked or who are victims of modern slavery. We constantly keep under review our care for those children.

Alistair Carmichael Portrait Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland) (LD)
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May I remind the Minister that the purpose of setting up this inquiry was to find out the truth and to allow the victims of child sexual abuse to get closure? To achieve that, they have to have confidence in the inquiry. If the inquiry alone cannot command the confidence of victims, the Government still has a role to play. She or the Home Secretary should be meeting the victims’ groups. She should be hearing their concerns directly from them and seeking their remedies if the inquiry is to do the job for which we set it up in the first place.