UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian
Patrick Wintour, political editor
theguardian.com, Monday 7 July 2014
The home secretary, Theresa May, is to announce a wide-ranging inquiry into public bodies’ and institutions’ handling of historical child abuse allegations, with David Cameron saying there will be no stone left unturned in the search for the truth.
Downing Street drew parallels with the panel inquiry into the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster – and its subsequent handling by public bodies including the police – rather than the judge-led Leveson inquiry into the practices of the press.
The prime minister’s spokesman said there was a case for examining how a range of public bodies have handled child abuse claims. These are likely to include hospitals, broadcasters, the church, judicial authorities and political bodies.
The detailed terms of reference are still being worked on and may be adjusted once the panel of the inquiry is identified. May is to reveal more when she addresses parliament later on Monday.
Cameron spoke to the home secretary over the weekend and agreed that no stone should be left unturned in finding the truth, and that any lessons from how organisations handled claims needed to be learned to understand society’s failure as a whole to listen to the complaints of children.
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