Shropshire Star

I want answers on Telford child sex abuse, says minister

A minister says he wants answers to whether lessons were learned from the cases of exploitation of girls in Telford – but has stopped short of supporting an independent inquiry.

Published
Damian Hinds

Education Secretary Damian Hinds is to write to the national child safeguarding panel to ask what has been done to prevent other girls from being at risk. Mr Hinds also mentioned cases in Rotherham and Oxfordshire as he made the pledge to Telford MP Lucy Allan in Parliament.

Conservative MP Ms Allan wants an independent inquiry specifically on Telford, rather than the town being included in a wider investigation. Speaking in the Commons at education questions, she said: “I know the minister shares my concerns about the horrific sexual exploitation of young girls in Telford. Is the minister aware of any national inquiry that will specifically investigate all aspects of current and historic cases of child exploitation in Telford?”

Mr Hinds replied: “I do indeed share her concerns. This has been a terrible case and tragically, of course, not the first of its type. I will be writing to the chair of the new national child safeguarding review panel to look at places where these appalling crimes have happened, like Rotherham and Oxfordshire and indeed Telford, and report on whether lessons have been learned and practices improved right across the system.”

The intervention by Mr Hinds comes as a debate continues over the nature of a possible inquiry into child sexual exploitation in the town.

Tory councillors on Telford & Wrekin Council have called for an extraordinary meeting to demand that it leads an ‘immediate local independent inquiry into all aspects of historical and current instances of child sexual exploitation within the borough’.

But the council says it does not believe a council-led inquiry would give the victims, or public, the answers they seek. The authority says it cannot compel witnesses outside of the council to give evidence and its remit would be limited to the period since the council has existed.

It has written to the Home Office to ask if an existing national Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse will specifically look into failings in Telford.

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