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Brittan asked officials to 'look carefully' at 'paedophile dossier' Home Office launches trawl for "paedophile dossier'
(about 2 hours later)
Ex-home secretary Lord Brittan said he asked his officials to "look carefully" at a dossier handed to him about alleged paedophiles in Westminster. The Home Office has ordered a trawl of files dating back to 1979 to find out what happened to a dossier about alleged paedophiles at Westminster.
On Monday Labour's Simon Danczuk urged Lord Brittan to "share his knowledge of the allegations" contained in the 1980s report by late Tory MP Geoff Dickens. The document was handed to former Home Secretary Lord Brittan.
In a statement, he said he had asked officials to "report back to me" if "action needed to be taken". Lord Brittan said he had asked his officials to "look carefully" at it but did not recall any further action.
He "did not recall" being "contacted further about these matters", he said. Labour MP Simon Danczuk said it may contain evidence that could identify sex abusers and ministers had a duty to "show what it is in there".
Mr Danczuk, who helped expose the late Liberal MP Cyril Smith as a child sex abuser, has called for a national overarching "Hillsborough-style" inquiry into allegations of child sex abuse. In a statement, the Home Office said: "In response to concerns raised in Parliament and the media relating to the handling by the department of historical allegations of abuse, the permanent secretary commissioned an independent review of all relevant papers received by the department between 1979 to 1999 to identify any information received and the outcome.
"The review concluded the Home Office acted appropriately, referring information received during this period to the relevant authorities."
'Conspiracy'
Lord Brittan says he received a "substantial bundle of papers" from a Conservative MP, Geoffrey Dickens, which he asked Home Office officials to examine.
In a statement, Lord Brittan said he had asked officials to "report back to me" if "action needed to be taken".
He said he "did not recall" being "contacted further about these matters".
Mr Danczuk said the Conservative peer's statement was "disappointing" and he questioned why he had not asked officials to "come back to him within a week".
He said the document should not be difficult to find as it was "from the 1980s not the 1880s" and the Home Office had a "duty and a responsibility to show us what is in there".
He said if the dossier had been destroyed, it would "fuel the flames of conspiracy" and "people will think names have been protected".
The Labour MP, who helped expose the late Liberal MP Cyril Smith as a child sex abuser, has called for a national overarching "Hillsborough-style" inquiry into allegations of child sex abuse.
On Monday, he urged Lord Brittan to "share his knowledge of the allegations" contained in the 1980s report by late Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens.
He told the influential Commons Home Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday that politics was "the last refuge of child sex abuse deniers" and there was a view among many politicians that alleged offenders should not be named.He told the influential Commons Home Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday that politics was "the last refuge of child sex abuse deniers" and there was a view among many politicians that alleged offenders should not be named.
Bundle of papers
He said Rochdale MP Smith, who died in 2010, had escaped prosecution because he had been "part of a network of people protecting each other".He said Rochdale MP Smith, who died in 2010, had escaped prosecution because he had been "part of a network of people protecting each other".
And he referred to a police investigation into a former guest house in south London where children were allegedly abused in the 1980s.And he referred to a police investigation into a former guest house in south London where children were allegedly abused in the 1980s.
The police have confirmed that Smith had been a visitor to Elm Guest House.The police have confirmed that Smith had been a visitor to Elm Guest House.
Current Rochdale MP Mr Danczuk said he had spoken to a victim Smith had abused there and that "other high profile figures are alleged to have attended there".
He said a dossier of child-sex allegations compiled by Mr Dickens, Conservative MP for part of what is now in the Rochdale constituency, had been presented to the then Mr Brittan.
Mr Danczuk urged Lord Brittan to make public what he knew about the report. "It would be welcome if he stepped forward and shared his knowledge of the allegations," he said.
In a statement on Wednesday, Lord Brittan said Mr Dickens had arranged to see him at the Home Office during his tenure as home secretary between 1983 and 1985.
"As I recall, he came to my room at the Home Office with a substantial bundle of papers," he said. "As is normal practice, my private secretary would have been present at the meeting.
"I told Mr Dickens that I would ensure that the papers were looked at carefully by the Home Office and acted on as necessary. Following the meeting, I asked my officials to look carefully at the material contained in the papers provided and report back to me if they considered that any action needed to be taken by the Home Office.
"In addition I asked my officials to consider a referral to another government department, such as the attorney general's department, if that was appropriate.
"This was the normal procedure for handing material presented to the home secretary.
"I do not recall being contacted further about these matters by Home Office officials or by Mr Dickens or by anyone else."