Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with Oldham Council on the potential starting date for its inquiry into grooming gangs operating in Oldham.

In June this year, Baroness Casey published her independent audit into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, and the Government accepted every recommendation it made, including establishing a new national inquiry. The national inquiry, equipped with statutory powers under the Inquiries Act 2005, will direct targeted local reviews in specific areas.

The former Home Secretary made a specific commitment to support Oldham Council in undertaking their own local inquiry. The Department has been discussing the right approach for Oldham’s inquiry with Oldham Council, given the Government’s commitment to a new national inquiry. We also intend to consult the prospective chair of the national inquiry once appointed and will confirm the proposed approach for Oldham alongside further details about the national inquiry in due course.