WGPlus (Archive)

Government search goes to the ‘ends of the earth’ in hunt of impartiality

Home Secretary Theresa May has announced that she plans to appoint Justice Lowell Goddard to lead the Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.  Justice Goddard, a judge of the High Court of New Zealand, has accepted the post and will appear at a pre-appointment hearing before the Home Affairs Select Committee on 11 February 2015.

A highly respected member of the judiciary, Justice Goddard conducted an inquiry into the police handling of child abuse in New Zealand when she was chairman of the country’s Independent Police Complaints Association.

The Home Secretary also announced the Inquiry will be placed on a statutory footing under the 2005 Inquiries Act, with the power to compel witnesses to give evidence.  The current panel will be disbanded and replaced by a new panel selected against a set of criteria which will be published in the House of Commons Library and on Gov.uk.

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