UNITED KINGDOM
Care Appointments
Press Association
Direct Government intervention with South Yorkshire Police is needed to improve the force’s performance when dealing with the sexual abuse of children, the Lords heard.
Lib Dem peer Lord Scriven expressed concern at the way exploitation cases had been treated in the police area during Lords question time.
“Will the Minister seriously consider direct intervention by the Government in South Yorkshire Police’s performance in dealing with child sexual exploitation?
“This has been highlighted by the recent report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, which said that South Yorkshire Police still needs to make major improvements. …
Conservative peer Lord Lexden raised concerns about the Church of England.
“Is it not essential that all agencies involved in protecting children investigate allegations of sexual abuse fully, fairly and openly? Will my noble friend agree that the more stringent procedures now required of bodies such as our school inspectorates and the Church of England authorities represent real progress?
“However, are we yet in a position to place total confidence in the church authorities? They failed to give an adequate account of the process which led them to accept last October the veracity of a single uncorroborated complaint of child sexual abuse made against one of our greatest, most venerated bishops, George Bell, Bishop of Chichester, who died in 1958. He was a man held in the highest regard in this House during his 20 years of service to it and the nation,” Lord Lexden said.
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