First Report - Human trafficking

The government rejects the recommendation to separate ministerial responsibilities, stating it is right for the Home Office to tackle modern slavery and migration together and that Ministers balance border security with victim support.

The government rejects the recommendation, stating it would not be appropriate for them to accept it because the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner's role is independent.

The government explicitly rejects the recommendation to review Modern Slavery statutory guidance every six months, stating that existing guidance and legislation already adequately address child criminal exploitation.

The government states that it keeps legislation under review but has not seen unequivocal evidence that any particular approach would improve tackling harm and exploitation related to prostitution and sex work, effectively declining to commit to directing specialist modern slavery teams for every police force.

The government rejects the recommendation for an independent review of the modern slavery provisions in the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, stating that the Home Office is conducting its own internal monitoring and evaluation of the relevant Acts.

The government rejected pausing the requirement for third-party evidence, stating they are internally monitoring and evaluating the new guidance, which they believe is having its intended effect of making decisions more robust.

The government rejected delivering a blanket 12 months of support for all victims with a positive Conclusive Grounds decision, stating their existing needs-based approach through the Recovery Needs Assessment ensures appropriate support length and that a fixed period risks creating dependency.

The government rejects the committee's premise of de-prioritising human trafficking, stating it is right to tackle both modern slavery and migration together. They highlight their commitment to identifying and supporting victims, noting that over 10,000 people received support through the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract in the year ending June 2023.

The government rejects the recommendation, stating it is right for the Home Office to tackle modern slavery and migration together due to their close links and that Ministers work to balance border security with victim support.

The government rejects the recommendation, stating it is right to tackle modern slavery and migration together and that Ministers work to balance secure borders with providing victims appropriate support.

The government implicitly rejects strengthening Section 53A or increasing penalties, explaining that police prioritise investigating more serious modern slavery crimes due to their higher penalties.

The government states it is not appropriate to accept this item because the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner's role is independent of Government.

The government rejected changing the pilot's eligibility criteria to include age-disputed children or those within 100 days of their 18th birthday, stating that expanding the scope would increase the risk of cases not being completed before the individual becomes an adult.

The government rejected the recommendation, stating that existing statutory guidance and recently published guidance already provide sufficient information and support for frontline professionals on child criminal exploitation.

The government rejected the recommendation for a blanket National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referral for every missing child, arguing it would remove case-specific considerations, create undue pressure, and potentially lead to damaging negative outcomes.