Whether it will launch an independent public inquiry into the operation of grooming gangs in Scotland.

The Scottish Government will give every consideration to the need for an independent public inquiry into the operation of “grooming gangs” in Scotland, should it be deemed necessary following the completion of evidence-gathering activities currently underway by Police Scotland and its partners.Police Scotland has advised that there are no current investigations in Scotland involving offences against children which would mirror the investigations described in Baroness Casey’s Audit as being perpetrated by “grooming gangs”.However, there is absolutely no place for complacency. That is why Police Scotland are carrying out a deep dive into previous investigations of the type referred to in the Baroness Casey Audit. This is expected to be completed in a matter of weeks, and we will review the findings as soon as they become available.While Police Scotland’s deep dive is ongoing, the Scottish Government is considering the findings and recommendations of the Casey Audit to understand how they might apply to Scotland. The Casey Audit will also be considered by the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group, as it considers opportunities to improve our response to child sexual abuse and exploitation in Scotland.As you will be aware, the current Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry is ongoing and is one of the widest ranging ever undertaken in Scotland. While the primary aim of the inquiry is to investigate the extent and nature of abuse in care settings from 1930 to 2014 it is also conducting an extensive review of current child protection policy and practice in Scotland, to consider whether changes are required to better protect children from abuse in future.