'Victory for women and girls' as ministers announce Scottish grooming gangs inquiry

Education secretary Jenny Gilruth made the announcement to parliament on Wednesday in an unexpected shift from the SNP’s previous position.

The inquiry will have “fullest investigatory powers,” Ms Gilruth added.

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The decision prompted questions from cross-party politicians - including the SNP - as to why the decision had been taken.

The National Review on the issue of group-based child sexual exploitation, announced in December last year, had said it needed 18 months to produce a report.

Its aim was to inform the government whether a statutory public inquiry was necessary.

However, Ms Gilruth said that since her last statement to parliament, she had “engaged directly” with survivors of child sexual abuse and now believes a statutory inquiry is necessary.

“Their testimonies are shocking in the extreme,” she said.

“They tell a story of a system which far too often does not believe young people.

“These stories, each unique are bound by a common thread of power being used to abuse, coerce and control.

“Survivors have quite rightly called for meaningful change.

“They want decisive action to uncover, to disrupt and ultimately to prevent these horrendous crimes from ever happening.”

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Ms Gilruth added: “There is limited evidence at the current time on the nature and on the extent of group based child sexual abuse in Scotland, it is therefore imperative that this evidence base is established at pace to clarify next steps and to lessen prolonged suffering for the victims of those crimes.”

In the Holyrood chamber, the cabinet secretary was challenged by opposition politicians on the government’s U-turn and the planned scope of the inquiry.

Scottish Conservative shadow minister for children and young people Roz McCall said: “For every day we have been waiting for this inquiry, another victim goes without the justice they deserve.”

She then asked for reassurances that victims can have confidence in the inquiry process.

Ms Gilruth rejected the suggestion the change in position is a U-turn.

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Labour’s Pauline McNeill pushed the minister for information about why the decision to instigate an inquiry had been taken.

She asked: “Has substantial information emerged - has there been any preliminary estimation of the extent of grooming gang crime in Scotland?”

Ms Gilruth was further pressed by SNP MSP Rona Mackay, who said: “[Ms Gilruth] has not answered the question of what evidence is now available, on why the government has taken this decision - beyond the Scottish Conservatives calling for this inquiry - and I wonder if she would actually put to parliament today what additional information she now has?”

Labour MP Joani Reid called the news a "huge victory for survivors and for the women and girls who refused to be ignored".

She said: "They should never have had to fight this hard for a statutory public inquiry. For months the Scottish government insisted existing reviews were enough. Survivors were clear they were not. Only an inquiry under the Inquiries Act, with full legal powers and real independence, would command confidence.

"I welcome that the First Minister has now accepted that position. Scotland will now have a public inquiry able to compel evidence and examine institutional failings in the open."

Professor Alexis Jay will lead the public inquiry and step down from her role leading the review.

Ms Gilruth said Prof Jay has “unrivalled experience” of chairing inquiries into child sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as “vast experience” of child protection issues in more than 30 decades of professional experience in social work.

As well as the public inquiry, the Scottish government also plans to establish a “Truth Project” to allow victims and survivors of childhood sexual abuse and exploitation to tell their stories.

The review, which was announced in December, will continue alongside the public inquiry and the ongoing Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.

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While the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, which was established by the Scottish government in 2015, is to look at similar issues, Ms Gilruth said this both had a broader remit yet a specific focus on group-based child abuse and exploitation.

Ms McCall said: “This long overdue U-turn by the SNP is the very least that survivors of grooming gangs deserve.

“They have had to fight tooth and nail for the public inquiry which they hope will deliver justice, some degree of closure and ensure lessons are learned to prevent other vulnerable children being preyed upon.”

Prof Jay gave evidence on Wednesday morning to Holyrood’s education committee alongside Craig Naylor, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, Deputy Chief Constable Bex Smith and Detective Chief Superintendent Sarah Taylor, Head of Public Protection.

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Mr Naylor was asked about social work figures that showed 13 cases of group-based child sexual abuse in Scotland for 2023-24 with none in the cities of Dundee, Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Convenor Douglas Ross asked Mr Naylor: ”Does that 13 across Scotland sound about right and do you think our biggest cities would have no cases at all or is it not being reported in the right way?"

Mr Naylor said the number seemed "very low” and could be due to how crimes are recorded.

He said: ”My understanding is that there isn't a category on their crime system for organised child sexual abuse or exploitation.

"Do I think there are only 13 cases of organised child sexual abuse in Scotland in 23/24? It depends how you define it and that's one of the difficulties we've had is how do you define that issue.”