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Child Sex Abuse

Volume 174: debated on Thursday 14 June 1990

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To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has of the percentage of children who are sexually abused.

Information is not available centrally in the form requested. The information collected centrally relates to the number of children who are on the child protection registers who have been categorised as "sexually abused". The latest information available relates to the year ending 31 March 1989 and is published in the provisional feedback "Children and Young Persons on Child Protection Registers England 1989". Copies are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contact his Department has with Governments in America, Australia and the EEC regarding their experience in the creation and running of national institutes for research into child sexual abuse.

The Department does not have direct contact with overseas Governments concerning their research programmes into child sexual abuse. Professional staff within the Department keep in touch with research abroad as appropriate and researchers from departmentally funded programmes and units have contact from time to time with overseas counterparts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the amount of money being spent by Government Departments on research into the sexual abuse of children (a) at May 1989 and (b) currently; and if he will make a statement.

The following amounts were allocated by Government Departments for research into child sexual abuse.

1989–90 £1990–91 £
Department of Health92,000125,000
Home Office72,00032,000
Social Work Services Group (Scottish Office)17,00052,000
Total181,000209,000
In addition, the Department of Health funds a number of projects covering both sexual and physical abuse of children. The cost of these projects in 1990–91 is £221,000 which brings the total to £430,000.