Committee calls for transparency over salary of abuse inquiry head

By The Press Association13th February 2015News EnglandChild Abuse, Government / Politics, Inquiry, News England

Home Secretary Theresa May has been criticised by MPs for refusing to release details of the salary of the new head of the inquiry into historic child sex abuse.

The Commons Home Affairs Committee strongly endorsed the appointment of the New Zealand High Court judge Justice Lowell Goddard to head the inquiry after the two previous chairs were forced to step down over perceived conflicts of interest.

But the committee said it was “disappointed” that Mrs May had refused to disclose her proposed salary range, saying only that it would be “in line with other public appointments of this nature”.

“This is not in line with the open and transparent approach we would expect in the course of a pre-appointment process,” the committee said.

While the committee accepted Justice Goddard’s view that the abuse victims did not need to be represented on the new inquiry panel, it called for the creation of a parallel “survivors’ forum” with strong links to the panel.

It also called for the scope of the inquiry to be extended to cover Scotland and Northern Ireland – including the allegations of abuse involving prominent public figures at the Kincora Boys’ Home in Northern Ireland in the 1970s and 1980s – where there was reason to believe there was relevant material held by the UK Government.

The committee chairman, Keith Vaz, said they had been impressed by Justice Goddard’s “outstanding credentials” and believed she had the necessary skills and dedication to carry out the role effectively.

“We are confident that Justice Goddard will establish full independence from the Home Office and that she will shape and lead the inquiry in the manner she decides, but with proper consideration for the survivors,” he said.