Abuse Inquiry Judge Lowell Goddard's Pay Revealed

BBC News
July 13, 2015

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-33511233


The judge leading the inquiry into historical child sex abuse in England and Wales is to receive a pay packet worth more than ?480,000 a year.

Justice Lowell Goddard is to receive a salary of ?360,000, an annual rental allowance of ?110,000 and ?12,000 a year to cover utilities.

The Home Office will also cover the cost of four return flights from the UK to the judge's native New Zealand.

The inquiry is examining how public bodies handled abuse claims.

At its opening on 9 July, Justice Goddard said there were suggestions one child in every 20 in the UK had been sexually abused.

The High Court judge also suggested the inquiry could last until 2020.

?17.9m cost

On Monday, the inquiry set out details relating to its costs on its website.

It revealed panel members will receive ?565 a day, with staffing costs accounting for 41% of the overall budget.

Costs relating to the set-up and running of offices across England and Wales make up 21% of the budget, while operational costs, such as safeguarding support, account for 17% of the budget.

As well as Justice Goddard's salary and rental allowance, it was revealed the Home Office would cover the cost of four return flights from the UK to New Zealand for the judge and her husband, and a further two return flights from New Zealand to the UK for other immediate family members.

Justice Goddard's appointment is for the duration of the inquiry, which was fixed for an initial period from April this year until December 2018 and can be extended by mutual agreement, the website states.

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What are the allegations?

Paedophile allegations were passed to Leon Brittain, then home secretary, in the 1980s

In July last year, Labour MP Simon Danczuk called on Leon Brittan to say what he knew about paedophile allegations passed to him when he was home secretary in the 1980s.

The files were given to Lord Brittan, who died in January, by the late Conservative MP Geoffrey Dickens, a long-standing campaigner against child abuse.

Mr Dickens's son has said the files - now missing - contained "explosive" paedophile allegations about powerful and famous figures, including politicians.

Since Mr Danczuk's comments brought the so-called "Dickens dossier" to the fore, the focus has moved to the wider issue of how historical child sex abuse allegations were dealt with by public bodies and other institutions across the country.

Previously there had been calls for an overarching investigation into historical abuse claims in the wake of revelations that TV entertainer Jimmy Savile abused hundreds of victims at hospitals, children's homes and schools.

Read more on the "Dickens dossier" and other ongoing inquiries

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'Carefully costed'

Home Secretary Theresa May, who first announced the inquiry in July last year, has approved a budget of ?17.9m for 2015/16.

Justice Goddard said this was a "large sum" but insisted it had been "carefully costed" and was "essential to meet the inquiry's core operational requirements".

Keith Vaz, chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Committee, said he welcomed Justice Goddard's "openness and transparency" over her salary.

But he said he had "noted" that Justice Goddard's pay was likely to amount to more than ?2.4m if the inquiry lasted five years.

"It is also important that we have a breakdown of the legal costs, as it has been suggested that a number of lawyers will be involved," Mr Vaz added.

A Home Office spokesman said they welcomed the fact Justice Goddard was leading the inquiry and said it was a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to get to the truth, expose what has gone wrong in the past and learn lessons for the future".