Muckamore Abbey scandal: Gavin Robinson welcomes ‘personal commitment’ from Julian Smith

East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson was speaking after a meeting between Secretary of State Julian Smith and the father of a Muckamore patient at the centre of abuse allegations.

Mr Robinson, who has spoken in the House of Commons in the past about the need for a public inquiry, attended yesterday’s meeting alongside the family member and a solicitor representing the ‘Action For Muckamore’ campaign group.

“I think it was important for Julian Smith to get the opportunity to hear directly from those directly affected,” he told the News Letter.

“He gave a personal commitment that he would explore the issues raised, personally.

“We’ve asked him to look at three things.

“One is to satisfy himself as to the timescale surrounding the police investigations and recognise that that timescale is too long for families to wait.

“Secondly, the point was made that it is possible to conduct an inquiry and separate out, from the police inquiries, the issues that we wish to address such as the systemic failures, lack of managerial oversight and regulation.

“And thirdly that, given there is no Executive, that he is the appropriate person to call the inquiry.”

Mr Robinson continued: “He has given an earnest commitment to consider all of those issues. That is positive and I hope it moves it on.”

The East Belfast MP, who intervened in 2017 to help inform senior officials at the Department of Health about the abuse allegations, said the secretary of state was also reminded that each of Northern Ireland’s main political parties has given its support for a public inquiry into the scandal at Muckamore.