Today the Government set out the chair, the supporting panel, the terms of reference and the timelines for the inquiry. This provides much-needed clarity for all involved. Many will welcome the appointment of Baroness Longfield, and together with the panel, wish them well in the months and years ahead.
Survivors have been waiting a long time to engage with a process of this kind. It is crucial for them and for others yet to come forward that this inquiry leaves no stone unturned, is not constrained by time limits, and follows the evidence wherever it leads. I am assured that this will be the case, and that no survivor will be denied the chance to have their case examined simply because of when the abuse took place.
For Oldham this will mean the inquiry will examine the culture, approach, response and effectiveness across multiple administrations, political parties, and individual officers and members. It will provide a comprehensive assessment of what worked and what did not.
It is for the panel to determine its lines of inquiry, but I would expect it to cover, at a minimum, the formation of safeguarding responses from at least the early 2000s, if not earlier, when the threat of group-based abuse and exploitation was first identified and the Messenger Project was established, through to the development of MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs), and on to Project Phoenix and the wider Greater Manchester response, and to the present day if that’s where the evidence takes it.
Importantly, the inquiry will be established under the Inquiries Act, meaning evidence must be provided, witnesses can be compelled to give truthful testimony, and lines of inquiry can cross organisational boundaries to provide a full and accurate picture of events.
It is the responsibility of this inquiry to answer all these questions without fear or favour.
I asked the Home Secretary to confirm that the national inquiry format, with local deep dives, will ensure that cross-border offending spanning local authority and police boundaries will be fully covered and will not be allowed to fall through the net.
To see my question to the Home Secretary and her answer in full, head to the clip on my Facebook page.
Jim McMahon OBE MP 