North Rhine-Westphalia: State parliament should directly set up a committee on child abuse

Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - The new North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament is to set up a committee of inquiry to investigate child abuse in its constituent session next week.

North Rhine-Westphalia: State parliament should directly set up a committee on child abuse

Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - The new North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament is to set up a committee of inquiry to investigate child abuse in its constituent session next week. The German press agency found out on Wednesday.

During the past legislative period, a committee of inquiry had already been dealing with the complex of issues for almost three years. According to the order, it was about the "clarification of possible omissions, omissions, misjudgments and misconduct by the North Rhine-Westphalian state government and the investigative authorities as well as the youth welfare offices in the case of multiple sexualised child abuse at a campsite in Lügde and possibly at other locations". According to a joint application by the CDU, SPD, Greens and FDP, which the dpa has received, this work is to be continued in the new electoral period.

The newly elected state parliament will meet for the first time on June 1st. According to the agenda, which the Parliament's Council of Elders decided on Wednesday, there are still no substantive debates. At the constitutive meeting, which only begins in the afternoon, the presidency of the state parliament is elected. In addition, the first committees are to be set up, as the state parliament announced.

The session will be opened by Interior Minister Herbert Reul on Wednesday next week. The CDU politician is the senior president at the age of 69. A speech is not planned.

However, he speaks the obligation formula for the members of the state parliament: All 195 elected members are called by name at the beginning of the session and "testify to the state that they devote all their energy to the well-being of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, increase its benefits, and protect it from harm who will fulfill the assumed duty and responsibility to the best of their knowledge and ability and will serve peace in justice towards every human being".

The CDU once again became the strongest parliamentary group in the state elections on May 15 and grew by 4 to 76 MPs. In contrast, the SPD faction shrinks by 13 to 56 MPs. With 39 MPs, the Greens have 25 more than before. FDP (previously: 16) and AfD (previously: 13) only have 12 seats each.

The CDU parliamentary group has once again nominated André Kuper for the post of President of the State Parliament. The 61-year-old has held the highest office in the country since 2017. There are also three deputy positions to be filled. It was initially open who the parliamentary groups wanted to nominate.

With the seating arrangement in the state parliament, everything remains basically the same - except that the CDU and Greens are given significantly more space in the state parliament, which has been reduced by four elected representatives. However, the party neighbors remain the same: the SPD, Greens, CDU, FDP and AfD are still placed side by side in this order in the faction blocks. There was no squabbling over the seating arrangement in North Rhine-Westphalia, as there was at the beginning of the year from the newly elected Bundestag.