Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Manzoor on 18 October 2018 (HL Deb, col 562), whether they intend to publish the findings of the working group set up on 3 September 2018 to examine the characteristics of the perpetrators of child sexual exploitation and abuse; and if not why not.

Officials have been pursuing work on several fronts to improve our understanding of the characteristics of group-based child sexual exploitation, as well as the implications for the investigation and prevention of these crimes.

This internal work is being carried out as part of routine policy development. As such, it has not been undertaken with the intention of publication.

Much of the insight gained through our work with law enforcement partners contains operationally and personally sensitive information and will need to remain confidential.

In early 2020 the Government will publish a national strategy, the first of its kind, to tackle all forms of child sexual abuse.

Our new strategy will set out our whole system response to tackling child sexual abuse, including group-based sexual offending, drawing on this internal work. It will set out how we will work across government, law enforcement, safeguarding partners and industry to root out offending, protect victims and help victims and survivors rebuild their lives. We will work tirelessly to tackle all forms of sexual abuse; there will be no no-go areas.