PARLIAMENT must have patience over a national child abuse inquiry as it will be a “Herculean task”, Banbury MP Sir Tony Baldry said in the Commons.

The Conservative spoke at a debate this week over who will chair the inquiry after Baroness Butler-Sloss and Fiona Woolf both stepped down in the last four months over links to establishment figures.

Sir Tony said: “The panel is going to be required to consider the behaviour over many years of broadcasters, children’s homes, churches, clubs, Government agencies and organisations, hospitals, schools, youth organisations and others.

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“So does the House not have to recognise that that is a Herculean task and that we have to be patient?

“If this work is going to be done properly, it cannot be done instantly. It will take a little time.

“There is a trade-off between having broad terms of reference and a wide period of examination, and the time it takes for the work to be done.”

Home Secretary Theresa May told the debate: “It’s obviously very disappointing that we do not now have an inquiry chairman. For that I want to tell survivors that I’m sorry.”

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