Decision on extra £14 million for abuse inquiry tomorrow

Monday 23 March 2015

Politicians are due to sign off another £14 million for the independent abuse inquiry tomorrow.

The spiralling costs of the inquiry look likely to reach £20 million – more than three times the original budget.

And one lawyer has told the Bailiwick Express that the figure could go much higher, saying that the cost could reach £50 million.

Chief Minister Ian Gorst is taking a proposition to the States to secure the extra funding, but he says that the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry should publish their final report by the end of next year.

So far, the inquiry has heard evidence from abuse victims about the sustained physical and sexual abuse that they were subjected to while in care. Evidence has been heard about the Beast of Jersey at children’s homes, that the head of Haut de la Garenne raped a young girl at the home, and that notorious paedophile Jimmy Savile had been in Jersey.

Tomorrow’s proposition says: “The Council of Ministers has a duty in relation to the Medium Term Financial Plan to bring before the Assembly any such requests for significant additional funding for the Committee of Inquiry in the context of competing demands for public funding.

“The Chief Minister is, therefore, seeking a decision from States Members in order that the Council can understand the will of the Assembly in relation to funding for the Inquiry.”

Earlier this month it was revealed that lawyers have earned more than three times the amount of compensation paid out to abuse victims through the inquiry and the abuse scheme so far.

So far, legal costs for the inquiry States departments and the compensation scheme have totalled £6.5 million.

That figure is way in excess of the £1.9 million paid out to victims during the “Historic Redress Scheme” – a compensation scheme set up to make some financial reparation for victims who suffered years of abuse as children.