APPENDIX 1

The establishment of the Inquiry

House of Commons ­ 10 February 1997

Ashworth Hospital

3.30 pm

The Secretary of State for Health (Mr Stephen Dorrell): With permission, I should like to make a statement about action being taken to address the allegations involving the Personality Disorder Unit at Ashworth Hospital in Merseyside. The unit comprises six wards, with 115 patients, within the total population of Ashworth Hospital of 473 patients.

Hon members will be aware that last Friday I instituted urgent action to address the very serious situation that had been brought to my attention in the preceding few days. In October last year, Steven Daggett, a patient at Ashworth Hospital, made a number of allegations, including the misuse of drugs and alcohol, financial irregularities, the availability of pornographic material, and possible paedophile activity involving a child visitor within the Personality Disorder Unit.

I am advised that the Hospital began investigations at that time and that a subsequent ward search on 17 January found a large amount of pornographic material. Despite the availability of this evidence and of Mr Daggett's allegations, the Hospital continued to maintain that press reports of unacceptable and possibly unlawful activity within the Personality Disorder Unit were unfounded.

On 28 January, the Home Office received a letter from the Hon Member for Halifax (Mrs Mahon) enclosing a 60-page dossier setting out the detail of Mr Daggett's allegations. The dossier was passed by the Home Office to my Department.

On 31 January, police visited the home of a former Ashworth patient who had continued to be a frequent visitor to the Hospital. Following that action, a child has been taken into the care of the local authority under an emergency protection order.

In light of the allegations made by Mr Daggett and of other evidence that has recently become available, I made three announcements on Friday of last week. First, the Hospital has suspended three members of staff, including the Chief Executive. An acting Chief Executive was appointed with immediate effect. He is Mr Erville Millar, Chief Executive of Lambeth Health Care NHS Trust, who has a strong background in mental health services. I can further inform the House this afternoon that the Hospital has today suspended a member of its medical staff.

Secondly, I established on Friday a statutory inquiry under section 84 of the National Health Service Act 1977 to review the clinical policies and the management of the Personality Disorder Unit at Ashworth Hospital. The inquiry will be led by His Honour Judge Peter Fallon QC a recently retired senior circuit judge. A section 84 inquiry has the power to summon witnesses and to take evidence on oath. The inquiry will determine how and on what terms it takes evidence. It will also be for the inquiry to ensure that its work does not compromise continuing police investigations or possible criminal proceedings, but I would expect it to report within a year. That report will be published.

The terms of reference for the inquiry will be published as soon as possible. They will make it clear that, as it is activities within the Hospital's Personality Disorder Unit that have caused recent concern, the inquiry should focus on the policies, management and clinical care provided by that unit. The inquiry will, however, also wish to follow up any wider questions that are necessary to the proper consideration of the issues.

The third announcement I made on Friday was on the alleged involvement of a child. The Chief Inspector of Social Services, Sir Herbert Laming, has asked the local authority concerned for a full report on the handling of the case by its social services department. I will decide, in the light of that report, whether further action needs to be taken.

The allegations that have been made about Ashworth Hospital are extremely serious, and the public are entitled to reassurance on two counts. First, Ashworth Hospital must be properly managed and must provide a high level of security for the benefit both of patients and of the public at large. Secondly, the Hospital must also ensure that its patients receive a high standard of clinical care. The action that I announced on Friday is directed at the achievement of both those objectives.