Thursday 5th January 2012, 2:57PM GMT.

Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand

TAXPAYERS’ money should not be wasted asking a public inquiry to examine whether the historical child abuse investigation should have been launched, according to the Home Affairs Minister.

Senator Ian Le Marquand said that the successful prosecutions that resulted from the multi-million pound investigation made it a ‘no brainer’.

He stressed that he did not want anyone to think that the operation had been a total waste of time and money.
However, he said that there had been problems with the running and financial management of the Haut de la Garenne phase of the inquiry, when the discovery of what was initially believed to be part of a child’s skull sparked large-scale excavations at the former children’s home. Experts later identified the exhibit as a piece of coconut.

In a statement released today, the minister has sought to clarify his position on a number of points about the investigation which he says might have been confused by ‘exaggerated’ media reports.