Thank you for contacting me about child sexual abuse and grooming gangs.
Keeping children safe is one of society’s most fundamental responsibilities. People who engage in child sexual abuse must be stopped, regardless of their race, age, or gender. While it is not exclusive to any single culture, community, race or religion, the prevention and exposure of child abuse must not be impeded by political or cultural sensitivities.
The need to safeguard children across the country and restore survivors' confidence in the criminal justice system is why the Conservative Opposition has called for a time-limited statutory Public Inquiry into grooming and rape gangs. This will enable a thorough investigation into the national nature of these crimes, an examination of police and CPS handling of such cases, and the exercise of powers to summon witnesses under oath. Successive Conservative Home Secretaries have commissioned significant data and research on the characteristics of perpetrators and established targeted Inquiries in the past.
These inquiries have been important; however, I do not believe this means it is unnecessary to hold a national inquiry into this critical issue. For example, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) report only covered six towns, whereas around 50 are affected, and it did not reference Keighley or Bradford once. Additionally, there have only been a handful of local inquiries, which themselves lack legal powers to summon witnesses, take evidence under oath, or requisition evidence. Therefore, holding this public inquiry is clearly in the public interest to uncover the truth.
My colleagues have also called on the Government to regularly publish ethnicity data on these crimes, which the previous Government began collecting.
It was right that last Government took steps to address this terrible problem. The Police, Crime and Sentencing Act 2022 introduced tougher sentencing for perpetrators of child sexual abuse. Additionally, the previous Government established the Grooming Gangs Taskforce in April 2023, which has worked with all 43 police forces in England and Wales to support child sexual exploitation and grooming investigations. I am glad that, in the 12 months following its establishment, the Taskforce helped police forces arrest over 550 suspects and identify and protect over 4,000 victims. This action followed the IICSA which was established to look at broader issue of the extent to which institutions in England and Wales have discharged their duty to protect children from sexual abuse. Furthermore, child sexual exploitation was a designated strategic policing priority since 2015, giving it the same significance as terrorism and serious organised crime.
I recognise, however, that there is always more to be done, which is why Ministers must accept no limits in protecting our children. For these reasons, I support calls for an inquiry. I am also aware that the Government has said it is working to deliver the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse's recommendations, and my colleagues and I will be closely following how these recommendations are implemented.
Child sexual abuse is an abhorrent crime which is why the Government must be clear that anyone who exploits vulnerable children will face the full weight of the law.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
