In-care abuse inquiry will follow the evidence, vows John Swinney

By The Press Association22nd December 2016News ScotlandChild Abuse, Government / Politics, News Scotland, Non-Recent / Historic Abuse, Sexual Abuse

Scotland’s inquiry into the historic abuse of children in care will be able to follow the evidence and look at the wider system, John Swinney has said.

The Deputy First Minister gave the assurance to MSPs on Holyrood’s Education Committee, having previously ruled out expanding the remit of the probe.

Mr Swinney told Parliament in November he would be ”failing” the survivors of in-care abuse if he opened up the scope of the inquiry , despite calls from some for it to be expanded.

The probe, chaired by senior judge Lady Smith, was set up to examine allegations of abuse from youngsters placed in children’s homes and foster care, as well as those cared for by faith-based organisations or in long-term hospital care and boarding schools.

Labour MSP Johann Lamont said: ” What survivor groups have also flagged up to us is the extent to which other parts of the system then let them down, whether it was the police or the prosecution services, and the sense in some areas that there’s been a cover-up and this is something that’s not unique to Scotland.

“Is the inquiry able to go where the evidence takes it round not just what happened to young people in care, but the way in which the system then closed down concerns that may have been expressed?”

Mr Swinney said: “My view is yes, because the inquiry has to look at the experience of young people in care and the extension of the remit that I made in November was to make it clear beyond any doubt that if for example there was a young person in care and they were abused outwith the boundaries of that care home, that abuse should be considered by the inquiry, that had to be part of its scope, to make that absolutely clear.

“I think the wider understanding of what happened, how issues were considered, what was done and more appropriately what was not done at the time, all of that must be, all of that is, within the scope of the inquiry, and in my view must be examined and that requires a whole range of different bodies to be engaged with the inquiry on these questions and the inquiry has the powers to make sure that that is the case.”

Mr Swinney has previously said the Scottish Football Association (SFA) should set up an independent inquiry into allegations of historical sexual abuse at football clubs, and that he will not extend the Scottish Government’s inquiry to include football.

Asked if he remains open-minded on the issue, he cited the example of the Catholic Church in Scotland, which set up a commission to investigate allegations of abuse, with the implementation of its recommendations being overseen by Baroness Helen Liddell.

He said: “To me that is an example of how these issues can be taken forward within a particular organisation that has got a duty to address these points, and I take the same view with football, but there has to be confidence in the process that is advanced, it has to be done with independence, it has to be done with authority, to give people confidence in that process.

“There may well be issues that emerge from these processes that the Government has got to take into account and I certainly give the assurance to the committee today that the Government will do exactly that as we look at these issues.”