The next stage of a cover-up? Govt accused of hiding behind paedophile inquiry
By Ian Dunt Follow @IanDunt and Alex Stevenson Follow @alex__stevenson
The government was under pressure to establish one over-arching inquiry into child abuse today, after Theresa May unveiled details of the five ongoing investigations into the issue.
Keith Bristow, the director-general of the National Crime Agency, will investigate how the police dealt with historic allegations of sexual abuse at care homes in Wales during the 1970s and 80s and assess recently allegations by victim Steve Messham.
Bristow will work with officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre, the home secretary told MPs this lunchtime.
But Labour MP Tom Watson, who first dragged the row into the spotlight with a dramatic question in PMQs, said a limited inquiry allowed figures in the establishment to get away with child abuse.
"The lesson of Hillsborough and hacking is that a narrowed-down investigation is the building block of a cover-up," he told the Commons.
"To limit to north Wales and Savile is a dereliction of duty. It means some of the most despicable paedophiles will be protected by the establishment that covered for them for 30 years.
"There should be no historic sexual abuse of children off limits to this investigation. Whether you were raped and tortured as a child in Wales or in Whitehall should make no difference," he added.
"[It is] the next stage of a cover-up."
Conservative MPs responded by shouting across the chamber: "Shame."
May also revealed details of a second inquiry into the late 1990s inquiry by retired high court judge Ronald Waterhouse. His probe cost £13 million but is accused of failing to uncover the extent of the abuse which took place.
No 10 confirmed this afternoon that Mrs Justice Julia Wendy Macur would lead the investigation.
"We remain concerned the multiple inquiries have no way of drawing together the common themes, the lessons learned," Cooper told MPs.
"We have to have a proper way to learn the right lessons for improving the framework for safeguarding children. We all remain concerned that victims of sexual abuse, particularly children, are not simply ignored or not taken seriously enough."
Her calls were repeated by a number of Conservative backbenchers, including Tim Loughton who until recently was a minister dealing with child protection issues, and former solicitor-general Edward Garnier.
Some claim the abuse involved many high-profile figures from the establishment, including a Tory grandee, and that a cover-up kept criminal investigations limited to care home staff.
The inquiries come amid another three ongoing investigations into paedophilia. The BBC is undertaking two – one into the culture which allowed Jimmy Savile to abuse children during his heyday as a celebrity and another on why Newsnight dropped a programme into the DJ and Top of the Pops presenter last year.
There is also an NHS inquiry into how Savile was able to abuse children in hospital under the cover of his charity work.
Labour is concerned the various inquiries may not communicate effectively or share information which would make their work easier.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told May one overall investigation into all the child abuse allegations would be an improvement to the current arrangements.
The Waterhouse tribunal was ordered by then Welsh secretary William Hague in 1996, after an earlier probe by Clwyd county council had ended up being pulped.
It heard evidence from 650 people, named and criticised nearly 200 and led to the payment of 140 compensation claims.
