Inquiry Chair Justice Goddard has just published guidance on the destruction of documents relating to child sexual abuse, as held by Government and other agencies.

She has written to Whitehall, Religious Leaders, the Police, the NHS and heads of Local Authorities. You can read the letters here.

The guidance is quite broad and requires each department or body to refrain from destroying documents that could offer vital clues and direction to the Inquiry itself.

The inquiry website offers this helpful introduction to the measure:

“On announcing the statutory Inquiry, the Home Secretary requested a moratorium on the destruction of material. Today (23rd June) the Inquiry sent out further guidance on the detail of what may or may not be destroyed across Government and by other agencies.

These letters have been sent to both the Cabinet Secretary and other relevant organisations setting out categories of documentation that must be kept pending further requests from the Inquiry.”

The most up to date Terms of Reference for the Inquiry can also be read here.

Lowell Goddard, Chair for the Statutory Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse

In what is a very good summary, Newsweek have published details of the most recent White Flowers Westminster meeting urging politicians to put the nation’s Statutory Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse at the top of their agenda.

The event, which took place yesterday, was heated, with panel members and survivors pressuring the government to keep focusing on the inquiry. The White Flowers Group asked the government to respond to the following demands:

• Full legal representation for survivors,
• The amendment of the Official Secrets Act implemented, to make sure it does not cover historical allegations of child sexual abuse, and
• Greater measures to protect and support whistleblowers, as well as the prompt prosecution of Lord Greville Janner, who was deemed unfit to stand trial earlier this year

The event was attended by politicians, lawyers, activists and survivors of child abuse, many of whom spoke and which included Michael Mansfield QC, Sam Stein QC, John Mann MP, Dr Lisa Cameron of the Scottish National Party,  Sarah Champion, the MP for Rochdale and leader of the Green Party, Natalie Bennett. The meeting was chaired by Phil Frampton, the co-director of White Flowers Group.

The outcome over whether a review of the decision of the director of public prosecutions not to charge Lord Janner has been successful is due to be made known next week.