Child abuse inquiry move

Wednesday 26th March 2008, 12:00AM GMT.

THE Chief Minister has called for a committee of inquiry into historic child abuse and alleged cover-ups.

Senator Frank Walker says that the report, which he will take to the Council of Ministers tomorrow and which could be presented to the States as early as Tuesday, should reassure Islanders that ‘no stone will be left unturned’.

However, the plans being drawn up do not say when the committee will be set up or what its terms of reference will be.

Senator Walker said that the committee would be set up only after the police investigations and prosecutions had run their course so that the inquiry would not prejudice court cases.

However, former Health Minister Stuart Syvret said that without a start date or terms of reference, the suggestion of an inquiry was ‘a PR exercise’ and that the proposal made no sense at all.

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