The grooming gangs inquiry will not be "squeamish" about examining whether ethnicity influenced offending or shaped the response of institutions, its chairwoman has said.

MPs were informed that the investigation will "get to the truth" and will not cut corners on the quality of its findings.

The statutory independent inquiry has been tasked with examining how grooming gangs operated and how the police, local authorities, health services, social care services and schools responded to the abuse.

Baroness Anne Longfield told the Home Affairs Committee: "We're setting out to understand and demonstrate what caused it, what allowed it to happen, and what allowed it to continue to happen.

"We're not squeamish... we recognise that there's no single type of survivor or perpetrator here, but we also know that answers can be sought there and delivered."

Panel member Zoe Billingham added: "We just have to take the evidence to the conclusions it will draw us to.

"We know that in terms of prosecutions, in some parts of the country the perpetrators are from Asian, Pakistani heritage, we're not going to shy away from that, we're not going to find excuses for that.

"We're going to be forensically looking at how religion, culture, heritage and background could or could not have been a driver.

"Our inquiry has to get us to the truth."

Lady Longfield's inquiry has a maximum duration of three years, to conclude no later than March 2029, and has a budget of £65 million. England's former children's commissioner told MPs she was fully confident the inquiry was supported by sufficient funding.

She said: "We think it's doable and we've signed up for that.

"We think it is possible with the budget.

"We are highly confident that we can do this, quality will be our guide. We would never compromise on quality.

"We don't want there to have to be another inquiry like this. We are very clear this is three years, and we don't think we'll have to come back for any (extra) money at this stage."

The inquiry released its terms of reference earlier this year and has embarked on its full investigation into group-based sexual exploitation of children across England and Wales.

It will hold legal powers to compel witnesses to provide evidence and oblige organisations to surrender relevant documents.

This follows ministers urging police to harness AI technology to identify and dismantle grooming gangs and track down child sex offenders.

Officers across England and Wales will gain access to a range of "AI-enabled intelligence tools" under Home Office plans, enabling them to analyse vast datasets, translate foreign-language material, and uncover patterns and connections between suspects.

Underpinned by £9 million in funding, the technology will enable forces to bring predators to justice "regardless of size or local resources", the Government confirmed.

The Home Office has committed £100 million towards reviewing hundreds of previously closed investigations and establishing a network to monitor online offenders. It is anticipated the extra funding will build upon last year's record enforcement levels, which saw 10,693 prosecutions and 8,681 convictions for child sexual offences.

The grooming gangs inquiry was established following a recommendation from Baroness Louise Casey's National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

The audit identified systemic failures and institutional paralysis which had allowed grooming gangs to operate for many years.