Scottish government orders public inquiry into grooming gangs

The Scottish government has ordered a public inquiry into grooming gangs.

Child sexual abuse expert Prof Alexis Jay, who has been overseeing a national review of group-based abuse in Scotland, will lead the inquiry.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said the government was "determined to act decisively to protect children".

However, opposition MSPs questioned why ministers had not ordered the inquiry earlier.

Jay's review, which was announced in December, was designed to inform a future decision on whether or not there should be a judge-led public inquiry.

At the time it was welcomed by Scottish Labour but Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said it did not go "far enough" and called for a full public inquiry.

Ministers previously said they thought more evidence was required but that threshold now appears to have been met.

Gilruth told parliament that the inquiry would focus on the prevalence of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation, now and in the recent past.

She said it would not "duplicate" the work of the long-running Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.

The scope of the inquiry will be finalised in due course, the minister told MSPs.

Gilruth said: "I consider the establishment of a public inquiry to be essential, and from discussions I know Professor Jay wants to ensure that the inquiry is carried out at pace.

"Announcing an independent public inquiry today will not cure all which has come before, but it is a statement of intent from this government that we will leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of justice for survivors of child sexual abuse."

Scottish Conservative MSP Roz McCall told parliament it was "scandalous" that victims were not listened to earlier.

She said: "This long overdue U-turn by the SNP is the very least that survivors of grooming gangs deserve.

"They have had to fight tooth and nail for the public inquiry which they hope will deliver justice, some degree of closure and ensure lessons are learned to prevent other vulnerable children being preyed upon."

Labour's Pauline McNeill called for clarity over what had changed since ministers had argued against the inquiry last year, noting that the national review panel had only met once.

She questioned what "substantial" new information had come to light and raised concerns that the inquiry may not be able to "get off the ground until victims come forward" and give evidence.

Last month, an independent investigation found Justice Secretary Angela Constance broke the ministerial code after making controversial comments about Jay in parliament.

The SNP minister was accused of misrepresenting Jay after she told MSPs the expert did not support further grooming gang inquiries. However, Jay later contacted the government to clarify that her remarks did not refer to inquiries in Scotland.

Constance, who was deemed to have breached the ministerial code inadvertently, was given a written reprimand.

During the row, the mother of a grooming gangs survivor, known as Taylor, said she no longer had confidence in the justice secretary.

She has now welcomed the public inquiry, thanking Gilruth for "listening to survivors and families like mine and for taking decisive action".

She added: "For too long, vulnerable children have not been listened to. Warning signs have been missed or ignored.

"This inquiry must mean more than words, it must uncover the truth, no matter how uncomfortable that may be."

In February last year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer commissioned Dame Louise Casey to evaluate the scale, nature and drivers of group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse at a national and local level.

In her review, Dame Louise recommended a national inquiry into child sexual exploitation in England and Wales.

Sir Keir accepted the recommendation and said it was "the right thing to do" based on what she had uncovered.

Called the Independent Commission on Grooming Gangs, the inquiry in England and Wales will have legal powers to direct targeted investigations in local areas and summon witnesses to give evidence.

The UK government said a panel of abuse survivors would be given a central role in the inquiry, however, four resigned in October in protest at how the government had handled the process so far.