MPs are calling for an urgent investigation following claims a person stole files detailing the failures in tackling child sexual exploitation in Rotherham.
A report by the Home Affairs Committee said a former researcher, employed by Rotherham Borough Council, claimed someone gained access to her office and stole the files that were set to be passed to the Home Office.
A council at the centre of a child sexual exploitation scandal gave a £40,000 pay-off to an official who quit following a damning report into the events.
Rotherham Borough Council disclosed the payment to former strategic director of children's services Joyce Thacker in response to a Freedom of Information request.
The council said it had reached a mutual agreement on the termination of her contract and the sum was "less than the contractual notice requirement".
The scale of the abuse in Rotherham was revealed in August this year when Professor Alexis Jay published a report which outlined how at least 1,400 children had been sexually exploited between 1997 and 2003 and questioned why highly placed public figures had not tackled the problem.
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