Select Committee · Home Affairs Committee

Human Trafficking

Status: Closed Opened: 7 Feb 2023 Closed: 24 May 2024 37 recommendations 66 conclusions 1 report

In this inquiry, launched in February 2023, the Home Affairs Committee is assessing the scale of human trafficking in the UK and the forms it takes. It also investigates whether Government policy, legislation and the criminal justice system can be improved to prevent human trafficking, prosecute perpetrators and protect victims. Read the terms of reference … Show more

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Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
First Report - Human trafficking HC 124 8 Dec 2023 103 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

7 items
10 Conclusion First Report - Human trafficking Not Addressed

Unacceptable 18-month vacancy for Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner breached statutory duty.

We welcome the Home Office’s appointment of a new Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC) and look forward to inviting her to speak to us as soon as possible, to understand how she intends to prioritise the prevention of human trafficking—including tackling demand, the prosecution of offenders and the protection of victims. … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government welcomed the appointment of a new Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner at the end of 2023 and looks forward to working with her, but did not address the committee's concern about the unacceptable delay in her appointment.
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Home Office
40 Conclusion First Report - Human trafficking Not Addressed

Resourcing challenges hinder essential financial investigations against human traffickers.

Financial investigations are essential to tackling organised crime and traffickers, particularly for evidence-led prosecutions. However, we heard that these specialists can be hard to resource.

Government response AI summary
The government's response focuses on its modern slavery strategy and reporting, but does not directly address the committee's conclusion regarding the essential role of financial investigations and the difficulty in resourcing specialists.
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Home Office
41 Recommendation First Report - Human trafficking Not Addressed

Require Government to prioritise and adequately resource financial investigations within law enforcement bodies.

The Government needs to ensure that appropriate priority is placed on resourcing financial investigations within law enforcement bodies. (Paragraph 128) 76 Human trafficking

Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the importance of a strategy to tackle modern slavery but does not directly address the recommendation to ensure appropriate priority for resourcing financial investigations within law enforcement bodies.
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Home Office
64 Conclusion First Report - Human trafficking Not Addressed

Address urgently the unacceptably high attrition rate of National Referral Mechanism staff.

Recruitment campaigns and the training of new National Referral Mechanism staff are welcome, and we look forward to the Home Office notifying us when the promised 200 new staff are recruited by the end of 2023. However, the attrition rate remains unacceptably high, and the Home Office must address this … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government details efforts to increase NRM workforce and productivity, which acknowledges the welcome recruitment, but does not address the urgent call to reduce the unacceptably high attrition rate among staff.
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Home Office
79 Recommendation First Report - Human trafficking Not Addressed

Increase safe accommodation provision for trafficking victims through Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract.

We recommend that the Government increases the provision of safe accommodation available through the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract for trafficking victims, including single-sex provision, while they await a National Referral Mechanism decision.

Government response AI summary
The government did not commit to increasing safe accommodation provision, instead stating it remains committed to ensuring appropriate accommodation through existing Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC) processes and monitoring capacity on a needs-basis.
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Home Office
96 Conclusion First Report - Human trafficking Not Addressed

Amend Modern Slavery guidance to include 'turning 18' support for transitioning child victims.

The Home Office should amend its Modern Slavery statutory guidance to include guidance on ‘turning 18’ to ensure that ageing out of the care system does not reduce holistic support for recovery and prevention of re-trafficking.

Government response AI summary
The government outlines existing support for children through local authorities and ICTGs, which plan for transitions, but does not commit to amending the Modern Slavery statutory guidance as recommended.
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Home Office
103 Conclusion First Report - Human trafficking Not Addressed

Require the Home Office to provide regular updates on progress in finding missing children.

The Committee has previously challenged the Home Office with our concerns that children have gone missing. The Home Office must update the Committee with its progress in finding these children by the end of this year, and we expect to receive regular updates thereafter until the problem is resolved. (Paragraph … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government's response discusses hotel closures and issues with blanket NRM referrals but does not commit to updating the Committee on the progress of finding missing children or providing regular updates as requested.
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Home Office

Oral evidence sessions

6 sessions
Date Witnesses
19 Jul 2023 Andrew Patrick · Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, Joanna West · Home Office, Matthew Bligh · Home Office, Miss Sarah Dines · Home Office, Rebecca Wyse · Home Office View ↗
5 Jul 2023 Assistant Chief Constable Jim Pearce · National Police Chiefs' Council, Caroline Haughey OBE KC · Furnival Chambers, Lynette Woodrow · Crown Prosecution Service, Rob Jones CBE · National Crime Agency, Stuart Peall · Lancashire Police View ↗
21 Jun 2023 Allyson Davies · Barnard's National Counter Trafficking Service, Danny Bayraktarova · Wilson Solicitors LLP, Elaine Bass · Home Office, James Fookes · Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group (ATMG), Laura Durán · ECPAT UK, Major Kathy Betteridge · Salvation Army, Siobhan Jolliffe · Home Office View ↗
7 Jun 2023 Dr. Ben Brewster · Rights Lab, University of Nottingham, Neelam Patankar · Digital Ventures, Professor Teela Sanders · University of Leicester, Rhoda Grant · Scottish Parliament View ↗
10 May 2023 Elysia McCaffrey · Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), Kate Roberts · Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX), Ruth Breslin · The Sexual Exploitation Research Programme (SERP), Sylvia Walby · Royal Holloway, University of London, Tatiana Gren-Jardan · Joint Modern Slavery Policy Unit Justice and Care and Centre for Social Justice View ↗
19 Apr 2023 Professor Dame Sara Thornton · The Rights Lab, University of Nottingham, The Rt Hon. the Baroness Butler-Sloss GBE View ↗

Who gave evidence

28 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Allyson Davies · Assistant Director of Children’s Services Barnard's National Counter Trafficking Service 1
Andrew Patrick · Former UK Migration and Modern Slavery Envoy Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office 1
Assistant Chief Constable Jim Pearce · Lead for Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration… National Police Chiefs' Council 1
Caroline Haughey OBE KC · Barrister Furnival Chambers 1
Danny Bayraktarova · Public Law and Human Rights Solicitor Wilson Solicitors LLP 1
Dr. Ben Brewster · Research Fellow in Modern Slavery Perpetration Rights Lab, University of Nottingham 1
Elaine Bass · Director, National Returns Progression Command Home Office 1
Elysia McCaffrey · Chief Executive Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) 1
James Fookes · Chair Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group (ATMG) 1
Joanna West · Director of Tackling Exploitation and Abuse Home Office 1
Kate Roberts · Head of Policy Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX) 1
Laura Durán · Head of Policy, Advocacy and Research ECPAT UK 1
Lynette Woodrow · Lead for Modern Slavery Crown Prosecution Service 1
Major Kathy Betteridge · Director for Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery Salvation Army 1
Matthew Bligh · Deputy Director for Policy on Illegal Migration Home Office 1
Miss Sarah Dines · Minister for Safeguarding Home Office 1
Neelam Patankar · Managing Director Digital Ventures 1
Professor Dame Sara Thornton The Rights Lab, University of Nottingham 1
Professor Teela Sanders · Professor of Criminology University of Leicester 1
Rebecca Wyse · Director of Tackling Exploitation and Abuse Home Office 1
Rhoda Grant · Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Scottish Parliament 1
Rob Jones CBE · Director General, National Economic Crime Centre … National Crime Agency 1
Ruth Breslin · Research Associate The Sexual Exploitation Research Programme (SERP) 1
Siobhan Jolliffe · Head of Single Competent Authority Home Office 1
Stuart Peall · Detective Sergeant Lancashire Police 1
Sylvia Walby · Professor of Criminology Royal Holloway, University of London 1
Tatiana Gren-Jardan · Head Joint Modern Slavery Policy Unit Justice and Care and Centre for Social Justice 1
The Rt Hon. the Baroness Butler-Sloss GBE 1

Correspondence

3 letters
DateDirectionTitle
15 May 2024 To cttee Letter from the Home Secretary, regarding the Government’s Response to the Hum…
13 Mar 2024 To cttee Letter from the Chair to the Home Secretary regarding the Government’s Response…
12 Jul 2023 From cttee Letter to the Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire on Adult Services Websites …