Ministers ‘will be ordered to appear at abuse inquiry’
SCOTTISH Government Ministers face being ordered to give evidence before an inquiry into historic abuse of children.
Past and present Ministers would be questioned over why they failed to act sooner to deliver justice to thousands of victims.
In recent months Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry chairman Lady Smith has heard damning evidence of the abuse and neglect of vulnerable young people.
In a dramatic development last week, she disclosed that senior government officials and Ministers are now in her sights.
The move was welcomed last night by survivors who said former first minister Lord McConnell should be among those called to give evidence.
They also want Peter Peacock, former Labour education secretary, Kenny MacAskill, who was SNP justice secretary, Roseanna Cunningham, former SNP legal affairs minister, and John Swinney, the current Education Secretary, to be called. Lady Smith said she will investigate more than a decade of Scottish Government inaction, from a demand for a public inquiry in 2002 to one being announced in 2014.
In 2002, Chris Daly submitted a petition, urging the then Scottish Executive to follow the Republic of Ireland’s lead in offering a public apology and compensation to victims.
He said he had been beaten regularly by nuns at Nazareth House in Aberdeen in the 1970s.
That led to Lord McConnell making a ‘sincere and full’ apology for the ‘deplorable, unacceptable and inexcusable’ abuse suffered – but he stopped short of agreeing to a full public inquiry.
Lady Smith said: ‘During the first part of phase one, I indicated that I was interested in hearing more about relevant events in the period between the lodging of the petition by Chris Daly in 2002, calling for a public inquiry, and the announcement of such an inquiry in late 2014.
‘At this stage, I can say that there have been investigations by the inquiry into this and they are continuing. Those investigations include gathering evidence from relevant officials and government Ministers.’
Lady Smith said evidence gathered would be included at hearings in 2020 ‘so as to take account of any developments since the setting-up of the inquiry, such as the outcome of the Scottish Government’s intention to establish a redress scheme’.
Survivors welcomed the move to hold previous Ministers to account. Alan Draper, of In Care Survivors, said: ‘Why did they follow the path they did?
‘They set up review groups and consultation exercises, but for years these did not lead to the one thing we were calling out for – a public inquiry, and justice, accountability and redress.
‘They have to be held to account for their failures.’’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘It is for Lady Smith to consider how the inquiry carries out its work, including who it calls to give evidence.
‘The Scottish Government is participating fully in the inquiry process.’