PETER Fox, the Member of the Senedd for Monmouth, has welcomed the “long overdue” announcement of a UK-wide public inquiry into the prevalence of grooming gangs and urged the Welsh Government to cooperate fully.

The call came after Welsh Conservative Leader Darren Millar MS raised the matter directly with the First Minister in the Senedd, pressing her to release relevant correspondence and agree to meet with a Welsh survivor of abuse.

Mr Millar who was the first party leader in Wales to call for such an inquiry challenged the First Minister over her Government’s earlier refusal to support a Welsh specific investigation. He warned that if Labour Ministers had acted in February, a dedicated inquiry for Wales would already be underway.

Mr Millar’s questions followed conversations with “Emily,” a Welsh survivor who was groomed as a teenager and trafficked across the UK.

Mr Millar also urged the First Minister to ensure that devolved bodies, including social services, local authorities, the NHS and the Children’s Commissioner fully cooperate with the inquiry.

Local MS for Monmouth, Peter Fox has said: “This inquiry is long overdue. We should have started six months ago and it’s disappointing that the Welsh Government voted down calls for a Welsh inquiry at the time.”

“I believe the First Minister should meet with Emily, a brave Welsh survivor who has spent years campaigning to protect other children, listening to her story is the least she deserves.”

“All of our communities across Wales and indeed the UK have been impacted by this horrific scandal, and my thoughts go out to those who have been affected. I hope this inquiry will now deliver the answers we need.”

Two men have recently been charged and bailed with historic child sexual exploitation following an investigation into allegations at the former Coed Glas children’s assessment centre in Abergavenny.

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