Update on grooming gangs inquiry to be set out before Christmas – Swinney

The Scottish Government’s “position” on a grooming inquiry will be stated before Christmas, the First Minister has said.

John Swinney said he has been briefed by police and a leading expert amid growing calls for such an inquiry, and he told Holyrood on Thursday his Government is “giving every serious consideration to this important issue”.

Answering media questions later on the likelihood of an inquiry, Mr Swinney added: “We’ll set a position to Parliament before the Christmas recess in a statement which will reflect on where we’ve reached in our analysis.”

The Scottish Government has been facing pressure in recent months to announce a grooming inquiry in Scotland, following Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement in June of an inquiry into grooming gangs in England and Wales.

Mr Swinney continued: “I understand the public concern, of course I do, and I listen carefully to members of the public and to the issues that you expressed.

“What I was trying to do in my answer today was to set out to the Parliament that there are a number of considerations that we have to be mindful of, not least of which is the significance of the existing child abuse inquiry, which I will not intrude on because of the statutory rights of that inquiry.”

Earlier this month, Mr Swinney confirmed he had received a letter from Taylor, which is not her real name, who said she and her friends were plied with alcohol and drugs and sexually abused by at least 10 men in Glasgow.

Taylor, who was 13 at the time, said in the letter she has been “deeply disappointed” by the First Minister and Police Scotland, accusing both of dismissing her complaints.

She called for a national inquiry.

The Scottish Conservatives have also been calling for a Scotland-wide inquiry and previously tried to add an amendment to the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill in September to bring such an inquiry about, but it was rejected by the Government.

The legislation included major changes to Scotland’s legal system, including the removal of the not proven verdict, and came into force at the end of October.