Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has had discussions with (a) Surrey County Council and (b) Surrey Police on child safeguarding following the conviction of Stephen Ireland.

Child sexual abuse is an abhorrent crime that no child should ever have to endure. We recognise the lifelong impact it can have on victims and survivors and remain committed to strengthening our response to this abuse.

The department holds regular meetings with Surrey County Council to discuss a wide range of topics including child protection and safeguarding. While we do not comment on if individual cases have been raised, we are aware of the serious concerns raised following the conviction of Stephen Ireland and continue to work closely with local authorities to ensure robust safeguarding practices are in place.

In addition, the government published its progress update on tackling child sexual abuse on 9 April, which responds to the 20 recommendations from the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. Work is underway on several key recommendations, including legislating for mandatory reporting and establishing a child protection authority with a consultation set to be published before the end of 2025.