Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Butler-Sloss Inquiry into child abuse will have scope to include public bodies and non-state institutions based in Northern Ireland.

On 7 July the Home Secretary announced an independent inquiry into child sexual abuse. The inquiry will consider whether public bodies – and other non-state institutions – have taken seriously their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse. The Inquiry will co-operate fully with Devolved Administrations. However all relevant issues in Scotland and Northern Ireland are now devolved and will be a matter for those administrations to consider. In Wales the inquiry will cover those institutions which concern non-devolved matters. The Home Secretary has made clear that the Home Office will talk to the Devolved Administrations and work with them on this Inquiry.