The new head of the inquiry into historical child sexual abuse has defended the embattled probe and insisted that it will not be scaled back.
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In a brief statement, released in August, Justice Goddard said the inquiry was beset with a “legacy of failure” and offered her resignation to the Ms Rudd.
In a letter to the inquiry’s core participants, Professor Jay wrote: “I would like to reassure any victim or survivor who is concerned that their experience may be excluded from our work that I have no intention of asking the Home Secretary to revise or reduce our terms of reference”.
“I think she went. because she found it too much for her and although she could contribute to it and there was some good work done in the past year, ultimately she found it too lonely”.
Conservative MP Tim Loughton, who has stepped into the committee’s chair until a replacement for Keith Vaz is found, however, said the inquiry had refunded £2.5 million to the Home Office past year as it they had underspent on their budget.”In that respect at least, her letter is factually incorrect and is a misrepresentation of the circumstances which may have led to her resignation”, Mr Loughton added.
Rudd agreed that she would renew the request for Goddard to give evidence to the committee by video link from New Zealand when she discusses with her the final details of the high court judge’s final package.
“That’s all the information I have about why she made a decision to go”.
During the home affairs select committee session Ms Rudd also said that the Government was sticking with David Cameron’s “tens of thousands” migration target.
“The Home Office and the now-prime minister were always determined to ensure that there were sufficient resources available”, she said.
Ms Rudd said she had never met Dame Lowell but she believed she cared about the inquiry.
The probe was given a budget of £17.9 million for 2015/16 and has been described as the most ambitious public inquiry ever in England and Wales.
Ms Rudd replied: “It’s correct that previous year was under-spent and I think it’s incorrect to suggest it would be under-resourced”.
In her written submission, Dame Lowell said she was pleased to set the inquiry on its way, adding: “Ultimately however I had to face a situation which I could not solve and which would continue unless challenged”.
“I am confident that we can adapt our working methods to make our task more manageable and to progress with our work more quickly”.
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Professor Jay previously authored a report which revealed that at least 1,400 children in Rotherham were subjected to sexual exploitation, by gangs of mostly Asian men.
