UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian
Alan Travis Home affairs editor
Tuesday 6 September 2016
The home secretary, Amber Rudd, is to be questioned about the future of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse after the outgoing chair said its scale and aspirations were impossible to manage in its current form.
Dame Lowell Goddard sent a 10-page critique of the setup of the inquiry to the home affairs select committee, calling for a complete review and remodelling to focus it “more towards current events and thus focusing major attention on the present and future protection of children”.
However, Goddard has declined a request to appear before the committee on Wednesday to discuss her resignation. The New Zealand judge told the MPs she was unavailable, leaving Rudd to answer their questions.
Goddard resigned from the child sexual abuse inquiry on 4 August. Rudd promptly replaced her with Prof Alexis Jay, a distinguished social worker and inquiry member. The home secretary wrote to the committee saying that she could not delay the appointment because it was essential to maintain the confidence of the alleged victims and survivors of abuse.
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