Regulated and Other Activities (Mandatory Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse) Bill [HL]

Lord Rooker Excerpts

2nd reading
Friday 17th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Rooker (Lab)]

My Lords, I cannot speak too highly of the efforts of the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson; they must be applauded. My intention is to raise a narrow aspect of the issue; namely, what has happened since 4 July last year.

I am not an expert and I do not recall anything like the present situation in my 27 years in the Commons. My interest and curiosity were alerted by a letter in the Times on 18 October last year from Richard Scorer and Kim Harrison, joint heads of abuse law at Slater and Gordon Lawyers UK. It pointed out that, in the two years from October 2022, nothing had been done regarding the IICSA report and there was no sign of the present Government addressing the failure. I therefore tabled a Written Question—HL1773—which was answered on 24 October by my noble friend Lord Hanson. It was an excellent Answer and full of empathy, but it did not say that the recommendations would be implemented. It said that the Home Office was working across government

“to identify how best to deliver against the recommendations … The lessons learned from”

the report

“will provide a fundamental basis for this work … and we hope to … get started … soon”.

I checked the King’s Speech, but there was no reference to it. I was aware of the First Reading of this Private Member’s Bill, so I parked it.

Then, earlier this month, Elon Musk raised the issue, doing so in a crude, misleading and immoral way. Initially, it was clear that he had no knowledge of the UK legal or parliamentary system, but that changed. He went directly for a Government Minister, Jess Phillips, who has an excellent record and now requires extra security. He went for the Prime Minister, who has not so far responded directly to Musk by name; even though an examination of his record as a prosecutor is excellent, he appeared to be pushed on to the back foot.

Musk has to be taken head on; he has massive weaknesses but is never seriously challenged. As Ian Hislop said in a recent interview, we should have cottoned on to how bad a person he was following the allegations he made towards those helping the young boys trapped in the Thailand caves in 2018. While the world went to help, Musk had no moral compass. It is strange that he failed to spot Jeffrey Epstein committing offences against young people in his own adopted country.

Ros Atkins, the BBC analysis editor, looked at 24 hours of Musk comments on Twitter on Monday 6 January—48% of the 153 posts were about the UK—and he found them wanting in accuracy. The conclusion was that Musk’s concern about grooming gangs does not extend to being truthful when discussing them. I am not at all clear why the Government are not being bold on Musk—turning the other cheek will not work.

Why was the IICSA report not in the King’s Speech? I asked our Library to check Hansard from both the Commons and the Lords, from 4 July to the end of December, on the issue of Professor Jay’s report. There are very few instances: a Question from the noble Lord, Lord Black of Brentwood; a Question from Shaun Davies MP; a Question from me; and a Question from the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson. There have been other Questions on child sexual abuse relating to specific locations, the Church of England, devolution, the Met Police—but there were only four on the report.

The excellent Library staff also checked debates with a mention of the IICSA report. Speakers included the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Manchester on the King’s Speech; the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, in an Oral Question; the noble Baroness, Lady Whitaker, on the Second Reading of the home school education Bill; and the noble Baroness, Lady Berridge, in the debate on social cohesion.

Those are the recorded questions. As to the answers, not a single one states clearly that the Government accept, and intend to implement, all 20 recommendations made by Professor Jay, between 4 July and the end of December. The same phrases—the line to take that I quoted earlier—are used throughout. They all avoid specific commitments; that is, until 6 January, when the Home Secretary made commitments to implement three key recommendations. I expect my noble friend the Minister to say something today about the other 17. It is crystal clear that urgent action on them—alongside more detailed inquiries, as called for by the MP for Rotherham, Sarah Champion—should take place.

The PM needs to boldly take on Musk by name and defend all his Ministers. Appeasement to a bully invites more bullying. This House supports and thanks the Minister for Safeguarding, Jess Phillips, for the excellent work she has done and is doing. The UK is not in a world-leading position on this issue, and we need to get there fast.