SCOTLAND
Holyrood
Written by Tom Freeman on 17 December 2014
A statutory public inquiry is to be held to examine historical cases of abuse of children in care in Scotland, Education Secretary Angela Constance has announced.
Appointments to the inquiry, including its chair, and further details of its remit will be made by April, the Cabinet Secretary told parliament.
“We must have the truth,” Constance said, “and as a society we have an opportunity to confront the mistakes of our past and to learn from them. It will not be easy but only by shining a light on the darkest recesses of our recent history will we fully understand the failures of the past, enabling us to prevent them happening again.”
Campaigners have been calling for an inquiry for some time, including the Scottish Human Rights Commission. The inquiry will be given the power to compel witnesses to appear and give evidence.
Scottish Labour’s new shadow education spokesman Iain Gray welcomed the announcement but said it had taken too long. “It is ten years since Jack McConnell apologised, on behalf of the Scottish people to the survivors of institutional child abuse,” he said.
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