§ Mr. RoweTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received concerning "Child Maltreatment in the UK: A Study of the Prevalence of Child Abuse and Neglect", published by the NSPCC; and if he will make a statement. [156146]
§ Mr. HuttonThe National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has made, and continues to make, a significant contribution in raising public awareness and understanding of the problem of child abuse.
We acknowledge the value of "Child Maltreatment in the United Kingdom". This is the first report of this most authoritative and contemporary prevalence study of child abuse and neglect. We have studied the findings of the report very carefully, and my officials have benefited from learning about the early findings of the study over the past two years. I ant aware that there will be a major national conference on the implications of the report in April. We look forward to further findings that may be drawn from this study.