Oral Answers to Questions

Glyn Davies Excerpts

Monday 15th July 2013 Commons Chamber

[John Howell (Henley) (Con)]

6. What steps she is taking to tackle the organised grooming and sexual exploitation of children.

[Glyn Davies (Montgomeryshire) (Con)]

16. What steps she is taking to tackle the organised grooming and sexual exploitation of children.

[The Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice (Damian Green)]

This Government are absolutely committed to tackling child sexual exploitation. That is why I am leading a new national group on sexual violence against children and vulnerable people, which is taking urgent action to protect children, significantly improve support for victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

[Damian Green]

I am happy to echo my hon. Friend’s last point. I am pleased that justice has been served, following the long police activity that led to Operation Bullfinch, and that the perpetrators are now behind bars where they belong. There are a lot of lessons to be learnt, and I know that Thames Valley police are playing a significant role in ensuring that the police get better at dealing with this type of horrible crime.

[Glyn Davies]

Will my right hon. Friend give an assurance that the Home Office is working with, and sharing knowledge with, the Welsh Government and the devolved Governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland to identify and eliminate the scourge of grooming and sexual exploitation throughout the UK?

[Damian Green]

My hon. Friend is right that that kind of work between different police forces is important. The national police working group on child abuse and investigation has representatives from Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish forces, while the Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre works with colleagues across the UK in combating this particularly abhorrent crime.