Conservatives “sat on their hands” over the issue of child sexual abuse, a minister has claimed as she took a question about Welsh “rape gangs”.
Wales Office minister Dame Nia Griffith said the Government has “already announced a comprehensive set of plans” to “prevent the horror of child sexual abuse”.
Conservative shadow Welsh secretary Mims Davies earlier warned that “women and girls will only truly be safe if we rid society of the appalling rape gangs”, as she pressed Dame Nia to say whether she would “push” for a Welsh Government-backed inquiry.
The Westminster Government has announced plans to support five local inquiries, including funding for Oldham Council in Greater Manchester.
Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips told MPs earlier this week that while the Government will back five inquiries, she expected “to actually go further” than this.
On Wednesday, Dame Nia told the Commons: “The last government sat on their hands and failed to deliver on the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), whereas this Government has already announced a comprehensive set of plans to implement all of the recommendations to prevent the horror of child sexual abuse, including the introduction of mandatory reporting, the creation of a new child protection authority, and the removal of the three-year statute of limitations period for personal injury claims brought by victims of child sexual abuse.
“And I would just stress that this is a reserved matter and my colleagues in Government have frequent discussions with colleagues in the Welsh Government.”
Ms Davies said earlier: “A Welsh rape gang survivor has publicly called for an inquiry into this.
“Has the minister met with the safeguarding minister to reflect this and deliver for victims in Wales?
“And if not, I ask again on behalf of women and girls who want answers and to be heard, and to see action in Wales and wider, will she push the Welsh Government to use the Inquiries Act 2005 to ensure Welsh victims get justice?”
The IICSA panel concluded in October 2022 that their work suggested “large numbers of victims and survivors have been let down by the institutions that should have protected them, today as well as in the past”, and called for “prompt and effective action”.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch used Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions to call for a “full national inquiry”, warning that “local inquiries cannot force people to give evidence under oath”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer replied: “We’ve had a national inquiry, we’ve had recommendations.
“There are hundreds of recommendations that have been made in relation to this issue – it is a serious issue. I strongly believe that we should implement the recommendations that have already been made and that is what we’re doing.”
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