Committee publication · Correspondence · 23 April 2026
Letter from the Home Secretary relating to the Terms of Reference for the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs 31.03.2026
From: Home Affairs Committee
Summary
The Home Secretary informs the Home Affairs Committee that the final Terms of Reference for the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs have been published on 31 March 2026, following consultation with victims, survivors, and Parliamentarians. The Inquiry will operate with a £65 million budget and formal setting-up date of 13 April 2026, with explicit focus on grooming gangs and the role of ethnicity, religion, and culture.
Key findings
- Terms of Reference finalised after consultation receiving over 25,000 online responses and direct engagement with victims and survivors across England and Wales
- Inquiry allocated £65 million budget with defined and deliverable timeframe, structured around trauma-informed approach
- Final Terms strengthen victim and survivor voice, confirming their lived experience will inform the Inquiry throughout
- Inquiry will be 'laser focused' on grooming gangs and will explicitly examine the role ethnicity, religion and culture played in these crimes
- Written Ministerial Statement will formally establish the Inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005 on 13 April 2026
Tone
FactualTopics
child-safeguardingcriminal-justicepublic-inquiries
Key actors
Shabana Mahmood MP, Dame Karen Bradley MP, Home Affairs Committee, Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, Victims and survivors
Notable line
“The final Terms of Reference reflect the clear feedback of victims and survivors, who remain central to the Inquiry and whose experiences will continue to guide its work.”
Key Quotes
“The Chair and I have agreed that the Inquiry will be laser focused on grooming gangs and will explicitly examine the role ethnicity, religion and culture played in these crimes.”
“The Government is firmly committed to the Inquiry's objective to uncover the truth, exami ne and address the systemic failures that allowed these appalling crimes to occur …”
“Victims and survivors have campaigned for many years to have their voices heard and today's publication is an important step towards securing the truth”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗