Government child abuse inquiry loses information provided by victims
Information provided by victims to the independent child abuse inquiry has been deleted, it has emerged.
The inquiry said that due to a change in its website address on September 14 any submissions through an online form between that date and October 2 was “instantly and permanently deleted” before it reached staff.
The information erased in the blunder had been given to the “share your experience” section of the website. It was set up for victims and survivors wanting to share their experiences with officials working on the probe.
Those who provided details between the two dates have now been asked to resubmit their information.
The inquiry apologised for the incident and stressed that no material was at risk of disclosure.
A statement on its website said: “Due to a change in our website address to www.iicsa.org.uk on 14 September, any information submitted to the Inquiry between 14 September and 2 October through the online form on the Share your experience page of our website, was instantly and permanently deleted before it reached our engagement team.
“We are very sorry for any inconvenience or distress this will cause and would like to reassure you that no information was put at risk of disclosure or unauthorised access.
“Due to the security measures on our website, your information cannot be found or viewed by anyone else as it was immediately and permanently destroyed.
“We would like to apologise again to anyone who submitted details to the Inquiry during this time and to ask you to please resubmit your information through the online form.
“Alternatively you can call the Inquiry helpline on 0800 917 1000 to submit your information over the phone, or email our team at [email protected].“
The inquiry – set up last July following claims of a high-level cover-up of abuse – has been beset by delays following the resignations of two previous chairwomen.
Lowell Goddard (pictured) a New Zealand judge, finally opened the probe earlier this year.
It is set to be Britain’s largest ever public inquiry and is expected to take up to five years.
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