Welsh gov supports UK-wide grooming gangs inquiry

Local TV

First Minister Eluned Morgan has said her government will ‘fully support’ an inquiry into child sexuality exploitation and grooming gangs after it was announced by Sir Kier Starmer. Welsh Tory leader Darren Millar has called for an inquiry in the past, but was shut down by Morgan who said victims had to come first.

Transcript

00:00The Welsh Government says it will fully cooperate with a new UK-wide statutory inquiry into grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation.

00:09First Minister Elinid Morgan confirmed her support after Prime Minister Sukiya Starmer announced the inquiry earlier this week,

00:16following the findings of the Casey Report which looked into grooming gangs.

00:19That report found that in many cases data on the ethnicity of perpetrators hadn't been recorded,

00:25with two-thirds of offenders missing that information entirely.

00:28Baroness Casey now says she supports the full national inquiry, having previously backed only a rapid audit.

00:34Speaking in the Senate, Elinid Morgan said the issue was deeply sensitive

00:38and that victims must be at the heart of everything the government does.

00:42She insisted there was already no complacency,

00:45and that steps were being taken to implement earlier recommendations made by Professor Alexis Jay

00:49following his seven-year-long inquiry into child sexual abuse.

00:53Welsh Conservative leader Darren Miller, who had previously called for a Wales-specific inquiry,

00:58accused the government of failing to act quickly enough.

01:01He said the delay in agreeing to a UK-wide inquiry caused more pain to victims

01:06and cited examples of abuse in Swansea, Newport and Wrexham.

01:10He also claimed the Welsh Government had previously failed to provide information requested as part of Baroness Casey's audit,

01:16and warned that fears of being seen as racist had stopped authorities from taking action.

01:20In response, the First Minister said lessons must be learned, including collecting more complete data,

01:26even on sensitive topics like ethnicity, and that abuse must be condemned wherever it happens.

01:31She had confirmed she has written to the Home Secretary to ensure that Welsh cases,

01:35both historic and recent, are included in the inquiry,

01:39and reiterated that Wales would play its full part in the process.

01:42She has speech Watkins, reporting for local TV.

01:44She has speech Watkins, reporting for local TV.

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