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Dame Lowell Goddard preferred to work alone, MPs told Dame Lowell Goddard preferred to work alone, MPs told
(35 minutes later)
Dame Lowell Goddard, the former head of an inquiry into child sexual abuse, kept panel members at a distance and would have rather worked alone, MPs have heard. Dame Lowell Goddard, the former head of an inquiry into child sexual abuse, kept panel members at a distance and would rather have worked alone, MPs have heard.
Professor Alexis Jay, her successor, told the Commons Home Affairs Committee that despite this, they tried to make arrangements work.Professor Alexis Jay, her successor, told the Commons Home Affairs Committee that despite this, they tried to make arrangements work.
Dame Lowell Goddard, the inquiry's third chairwoman, resigned in August.Dame Lowell Goddard, the inquiry's third chairwoman, resigned in August.
The committee is quizzing new chair Alexis Jay and two panel members. The inquiry, set up in 2014, has been beset by controversies.
The committee is quizzing new chair Alexis Jay and two panel members about Dame Lowell Goddard's departure and the inquiry's progress.
'Challenges''Challenges'
One of them, Ivor Frank, was asked whether Dame Lowell Goddard was a "nightmare to work with". Panel member Ivor Frank, a human rights barrister, was asked whether Dame Lowell Goddard was a "nightmare to work with".
"I would not use that language. I would prefer to say there were challenges," he replied."I would not use that language. I would prefer to say there were challenges," he replied.
He said she was not always present throughout her 16-month tenure so the panel was able to continue working without very much contact.He said she was not always present throughout her 16-month tenure so the panel was able to continue working without very much contact.
"There were times when things were amicable. Other times when it was less amicable," he told the committee. "There were times when things were perfectly amicable and perfectly professional, there were other times when it was less the case," he told the committee.
Who is Justice Lowell Goddard?Who is Justice Lowell Goddard?
During questioning, Prof Jay denied the inquiry had been "an unhappy ship" on which to work. During questioning, Prof Jay denied the inquiry had been "an unhappy ship".
She said a great deal of work had been done, it had always been "open for business" and it was not true to say it was ever in crisis.She said a great deal of work had been done, it had always been "open for business" and it was not true to say it was ever in crisis.
But she acknowledged that had Dame Goddard not resigned, it would have been "very difficult" for the work of the inquiry to be carried out.But she acknowledged that had Dame Goddard not resigned, it would have been "very difficult" for the work of the inquiry to be carried out.
Prof Jay said that of the 166 employees working on the inquiry, "just over 20%" had previously worked for the Home Office.
The committee suggested this made it harder for abuse survivors to have confidence in the "independence" of the inquiry.
But panel member, Drusilla Sharpling, also a barrister, stressed: "The chair and the panel are the controlling mind of this inquiry."
In her resignation letter from August, Dame Lowell Goddard said the inquiry had a "legacy of failure which has been very hard to shake off".In her resignation letter from August, Dame Lowell Goddard said the inquiry had a "legacy of failure which has been very hard to shake off".
She has since been accused of using racist language, something she has strongly denied.She has since been accused of using racist language, something she has strongly denied.
Her predecessors, Baroness Butler-Sloss and Dame Fiona Woolf, both quit over alleged conflicts of interest.
Senior lawyer Ben Emmerson QC also stepped down.
Abuse inquiry: How we got here
7 July 2014 - government announces independent inquiry into the way public bodies investigated and handled child sex abuse claims. Baroness Butler-Sloss chosen as head
9 July - Baroness Butler-Sloss faces calls to quit because her late brother, Sir Michael Havers, was attorney general in the 1980s
14 July - she stands down, saying she is "not the right person" for the job
5 September - Lord Mayor of London Fiona Woolf named the new head of the inquiry
11 October - Mrs Woolf discloses she had five dinners with Lord Brittan from 2008-12
22 October - abuse victim launches legal challenge against Mrs Woolf leading the inquiry, amid growing calls for her resignation
31 October - victims' groups tell government officials they are "unanimous" Mrs Woolf should quit. She steps down later that day
4 February 2015 - Justice Lowell Goddard, a serving judge of the High Court of New Zealand, announced as the new head of the inquiry
13 July - Dame Lowell's pay is revealed as more than £480,000 a year
November - inquiry begins hearing directly from victims and survivors
4 August 2016 - Dame Lowell writes to Home Secretary Amber Rudd to resign from her post
11 August 2016 - Prof Alexis Jay announced as new head of the inquiry
30 September - Ben Emmerson QC, the most senior lawyer working for the inquiry, steps down