Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label attachment file name title
tabling member	label

Search

1304404

registered interest
date	19/03/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Human Trafficking: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that police forces in England and Wales can collaborate with EU counterparts on missing children and trafficking investigations when a child has been trafficked from the UK to Europe.
tabling member printed	Baroness Doocey
uin	HL14407
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/04/2021 answer text <p>Tackling modern slavery, including child trafficking, is a priority for this Government and we are committed to continuing to work closely with EU partners to address this heinous crime.</p><p>The UK/EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) delivers a comprehensive package of capabilities that ensures we can work with counterparts across Europe to tackle serious crime. This includes enabling our law enforcement agencies to continue to share information on investigations, including those related to child trafficking, with EU counterparts.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 06/04/2021 15:45:49 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4197 label Biography information for Baroness Doocey

1289357

registered interest
date	24/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Human Trafficking
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of potential human trafficking victims facing exploitation of a sexual nature.
tabling member printed	Baroness Doocey
uin	HL13660
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2021 answer text <p>The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery including cases involving child trafficking and sexual exploitation. The Modern Slavery Act 2015, gives law enforcement agencies the tools to tackle modern slavery, including maximum life sentences for perpetrators and enhanced protection for victims. In July 2018, the Government commissioned an Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to identify what can be improved in the implementation of the Act. The Government’s response to this review can be found here:</p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-independent-review-of-the-modern-slavery-act</p><p>We are committed to strengthening the law enforcement response to modern slavery and in 2020/21 we allocated over £2 million funding to the police to support the Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime programme. During the pandemic we have also worked closely with law enforcement to monitor any changes in the threat of modern slavery including cases involving trafficked children and sexual exploitation.</p><p>The Home Office continues to work with First Responders to ensure they understand the indicators of different exploitation types and can refer potential victims into appropriate support. In July 2020, we released an E-Learning module available to all First Responders to improve their understanding of their responsibilities and the support available.</p><p>With this greater awareness and improved understanding of modern slavery, more potential victims are being identified and protected. The latest statistics can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics. The Home Office is currently addressing an earlier identified error that occurred in the data processing for the Q1-Q3 of 2020 statistics where some sexual exploitation referrals were miscategorised as ‘Not recorded or unknown’. Once this error is rectified, the number of sexual exploitation referrals will be higher than in the current statistical bulletins and the number of ‘not recorded or unknown’ referrals will be lower. The updated data will be released alongside the Quarter 4 (October to December 2020) statistics which are being prepared and will be released on 18 March 2021.</p><p>The Government continues to focus on improving identification and support for potential victims by embarking on an ambitious National Referral Mechanism Transformation Programme to build on our world leading efforts to identify vulnerable victims and provide the support that they need to rebuild their lives. This will ensure that victims are safeguarded and supported based on their individual recovery need, with a focus on supporting the most vulnerable and making good use of existing access to mainstream services. As part of this programme, we are progressing the roll out of the Independent Child Trafficking Guardians service.</p><p>The Government is committed to tackling the drivers that can lead individuals to become potential victims of trafficking. Local authorities are responsible for the safeguarding and promotion of welfare of all children in their area, co-operating closely with police and other statutory agencies to offer child victims required protection and support. In 2020-21, local government received an additional £1 billion grant for adult and children’s social care. This is on top of the continuation of the £410 million social care grant. In addition, we are investing £84 million in targeted, evidence-based interventions to improve the support provided to vulnerable children and their families and enable more children to stay at home thriving in stable family environments. The Government is also strongly committed to supporting victims of sexual exploitation and continues to provide investment in this area, including by allocating £76 million to support victims of modern slavery, sexual violence, and domestic abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Home Office has committed to create a new Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy this year and ran a nationwide Call for Evidence from 10 December to 19 February to gather the views from a wide range of stakeholders to inform this strategy. The strategy will also consider wider work, including on modern slavery and sexual exploitation.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL13662 HL13663 question first answered 10/03/2021 17:20:47 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford attachment 1 file name Government_Response_to_Independent_Review_of_MS_Act (1).pdf title Gov Response Independent Review Modern Slavery
tabling member	4197 label Biography information for Baroness Doocey

1289359

registered interest
date	24/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Human Trafficking
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to amend the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (1) to reflect, and (2) to combat, increases in reports of potential human trafficking cases related to sexual exploitation.
tabling member printed	Baroness Doocey
uin	HL13662
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2021 answer text <p>The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery including cases involving child trafficking and sexual exploitation. The Modern Slavery Act 2015, gives law enforcement agencies the tools to tackle modern slavery, including maximum life sentences for perpetrators and enhanced protection for victims. In July 2018, the Government commissioned an Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to identify what can be improved in the implementation of the Act. The Government’s response to this review can be found here:</p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-independent-review-of-the-modern-slavery-act</p><p>We are committed to strengthening the law enforcement response to modern slavery and in 2020/21 we allocated over £2 million funding to the police to support the Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime programme. During the pandemic we have also worked closely with law enforcement to monitor any changes in the threat of modern slavery including cases involving trafficked children and sexual exploitation.</p><p>The Home Office continues to work with First Responders to ensure they understand the indicators of different exploitation types and can refer potential victims into appropriate support. In July 2020, we released an E-Learning module available to all First Responders to improve their understanding of their responsibilities and the support available.</p><p>With this greater awareness and improved understanding of modern slavery, more potential victims are being identified and protected. The latest statistics can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics. The Home Office is currently addressing an earlier identified error that occurred in the data processing for the Q1-Q3 of 2020 statistics where some sexual exploitation referrals were miscategorised as ‘Not recorded or unknown’. Once this error is rectified, the number of sexual exploitation referrals will be higher than in the current statistical bulletins and the number of ‘not recorded or unknown’ referrals will be lower. The updated data will be released alongside the Quarter 4 (October to December 2020) statistics which are being prepared and will be released on 18 March 2021.</p><p>The Government continues to focus on improving identification and support for potential victims by embarking on an ambitious National Referral Mechanism Transformation Programme to build on our world leading efforts to identify vulnerable victims and provide the support that they need to rebuild their lives. This will ensure that victims are safeguarded and supported based on their individual recovery need, with a focus on supporting the most vulnerable and making good use of existing access to mainstream services. As part of this programme, we are progressing the roll out of the Independent Child Trafficking Guardians service.</p><p>The Government is committed to tackling the drivers that can lead individuals to become potential victims of trafficking. Local authorities are responsible for the safeguarding and promotion of welfare of all children in their area, co-operating closely with police and other statutory agencies to offer child victims required protection and support. In 2020-21, local government received an additional £1 billion grant for adult and children’s social care. This is on top of the continuation of the £410 million social care grant. In addition, we are investing £84 million in targeted, evidence-based interventions to improve the support provided to vulnerable children and their families and enable more children to stay at home thriving in stable family environments. The Government is also strongly committed to supporting victims of sexual exploitation and continues to provide investment in this area, including by allocating £76 million to support victims of modern slavery, sexual violence, and domestic abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Home Office has committed to create a new Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy this year and ran a nationwide Call for Evidence from 10 December to 19 February to gather the views from a wide range of stakeholders to inform this strategy. The strategy will also consider wider work, including on modern slavery and sexual exploitation.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL13660 HL13663 question first answered 10/03/2021 17:20:47 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford attachment 1 file name Government_Response_to_Independent_Review_of_MS_Act (1).pdf title Gov Response Independent Review Modern Slavery
tabling member	4197 label Biography information for Baroness Doocey

1289360

registered interest
date	24/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Human Trafficking: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to amend the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (1) to reflect, and (2) to combat, increases in reports of the number of potential human trafficking cases involving children.
tabling member printed	Baroness Doocey
uin	HL13663
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2021 answer text <p>The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery including cases involving child trafficking and sexual exploitation. The Modern Slavery Act 2015, gives law enforcement agencies the tools to tackle modern slavery, including maximum life sentences for perpetrators and enhanced protection for victims. In July 2018, the Government commissioned an Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to identify what can be improved in the implementation of the Act. The Government’s response to this review can be found here:</p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-independent-review-of-the-modern-slavery-act</p><p>We are committed to strengthening the law enforcement response to modern slavery and in 2020/21 we allocated over £2 million funding to the police to support the Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime programme. During the pandemic we have also worked closely with law enforcement to monitor any changes in the threat of modern slavery including cases involving trafficked children and sexual exploitation.</p><p>The Home Office continues to work with First Responders to ensure they understand the indicators of different exploitation types and can refer potential victims into appropriate support. In July 2020, we released an E-Learning module available to all First Responders to improve their understanding of their responsibilities and the support available.</p><p>With this greater awareness and improved understanding of modern slavery, more potential victims are being identified and protected. The latest statistics can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics. The Home Office is currently addressing an earlier identified error that occurred in the data processing for the Q1-Q3 of 2020 statistics where some sexual exploitation referrals were miscategorised as ‘Not recorded or unknown’. Once this error is rectified, the number of sexual exploitation referrals will be higher than in the current statistical bulletins and the number of ‘not recorded or unknown’ referrals will be lower. The updated data will be released alongside the Quarter 4 (October to December 2020) statistics which are being prepared and will be released on 18 March 2021.</p><p>The Government continues to focus on improving identification and support for potential victims by embarking on an ambitious National Referral Mechanism Transformation Programme to build on our world leading efforts to identify vulnerable victims and provide the support that they need to rebuild their lives. This will ensure that victims are safeguarded and supported based on their individual recovery need, with a focus on supporting the most vulnerable and making good use of existing access to mainstream services. As part of this programme, we are progressing the roll out of the Independent Child Trafficking Guardians service.</p><p>The Government is committed to tackling the drivers that can lead individuals to become potential victims of trafficking. Local authorities are responsible for the safeguarding and promotion of welfare of all children in their area, co-operating closely with police and other statutory agencies to offer child victims required protection and support. In 2020-21, local government received an additional £1 billion grant for adult and children’s social care. This is on top of the continuation of the £410 million social care grant. In addition, we are investing £84 million in targeted, evidence-based interventions to improve the support provided to vulnerable children and their families and enable more children to stay at home thriving in stable family environments. The Government is also strongly committed to supporting victims of sexual exploitation and continues to provide investment in this area, including by allocating £76 million to support victims of modern slavery, sexual violence, and domestic abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Home Office has committed to create a new Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy this year and ran a nationwide Call for Evidence from 10 December to 19 February to gather the views from a wide range of stakeholders to inform this strategy. The strategy will also consider wider work, including on modern slavery and sexual exploitation.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL13660 HL13662 question first answered 10/03/2021 17:20:47 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford attachment 1 file name Government_Response_to_Independent_Review_of_MS_Act (1).pdf title Gov Response Independent Review Modern Slavery
tabling member	4197 label Biography information for Baroness Doocey

1288402

registered interest
date	22/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	European Convention on Human Rights
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the decision by the European Court of Human Rights on 16 February that the UK was in violation of Articles 4 and 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, what steps they are taking to prevent further such breaches in future.
tabling member printed	Baroness Doocey
uin	HL13399
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2021 answer text <p>The Government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and ensuring that victims are provided with the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives. In 2015, we introduced the landmark Modern Slavery Act, giving law enforcement agencies the tools to tackle modern slavery, including maximum life sentences for perpetrators and enhanced protection for victims. The Act also introduced the statutory defence (Section 45) for victims of modern slavery to protect vulnerable people from being prosecuted for crimes they were forced to commit by their exploiter.</p><p>In relation to the case of VCL and AN vs the United Kingdom, which relates to the position prior to the enactment of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the Government is carefully considering the Court’s judgment.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 08/03/2021 16:47:29 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4197 label Biography information for Baroness Doocey

1285390

registered interest
date	09/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Human Trafficking: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to combat child trafficking.
tabling member printed	Baroness Doocey
uin	HL13168
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2021 answer text <p>This Government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and ensuring that all victims, including children, are provided with the support they need.</p><p>The Home Office continues to work with a range of partners to identify and deliver effective prevention activity. This includes awareness raising initiatives such as the Government’s ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ campaign and the #SlaveryonYourDoorstep campaign led by CrimeStoppers. We also have a dedicated GOV.UK resources page that provides up-to-date information on how to spot the signs of modern slavery and report concerns.</p><p>Where children are found to be potential victims of human trafficking or modern slavery their safety and welfare are addressed as a priority. Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in their area, including child victims of modern slavery. Local children's services will work in close co-operation with the police and other statutory agencies to offer potentially trafficked children the protection and support they require.</p><p>With regard to the types of exploitation experienced by child trafficking victims in the UK and any change in the types of exploitation being identified over the past 10 years, the Home Office publishes statistics on National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referrals on a quarterly basis. The NRM statistics for 2012 to 2016 can be found here: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20170404150655/http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statistics.</p><p>The NRM statistics for 2017 to 2018 can be found here: https://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/who-we-are/publications?search=&amp;category%5B%5D=3&amp;=%2Fwho-we-are%2Fpublications%3Flimit%3D15%26sort%3Dtitle%26direction%3Dasc&amp;limit=100&amp;tag=</p><p>The 2019 report and Q1-Q3 of 2020 can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics" target="_blank">h</a>ttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics</p><p>With regard to why some potential child trafficking victims are recorded as having experienced an unknown type of exploitation, the Home Office is currently addressing an earlier identified error that occurred in the data processing for the Q1-Q3 of 2020 statistics where some sexual exploitation referrals were miscategorised as ‘Not recorded or unknown’. Once this error is rectified, the number of sexual exploitation referrals will be higher than in the current statistical bulletins and the number of ‘not recorded or unknown’ referrals will be lower. The updated data will be released alongside the Quarter 4 (October to December 2020) statistics which are being prepared and will be released on 18 March 2021.</p><p>At the Reasonable Grounds stage of the National Referral Mechanism, the standard of proof is ‘suspects but cannot prove’. In Q2 and Q3 of 2020, 96% of Reasonable Grounds decisions made on child cases were positive.</p><p>Prior to the NRM digital case working system going live in January 2020, data collection on NRM cases included an ‘unknown’ exploitation category for any unknown case exploitation types. Since the new system has been introduced, there is now an ‘other exploitation’ free-text box that First Responders can fill in on the referral form to explain why they are unable to identify the exploitation type. The information contained within this box is considered by a Decision Maker when making the Reasonable Grounds decision. However, for data reporting purposes, this is classified as ‘unknown’.</p><p>Reasonable Grounds decisions are made based on the account of exploitation submitted in the form and not specifically on the exploitation type data, which is recorded to enable data analysis rather than to specifically support decision-making.</p><p>The Home Office continues to work with First Responders to ensure they understand the indicators of different exploitation types and, in July 2020, we released a new First Responder e-learning module which includes support on this issue.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL13169 HL13170 HL13171 question first answered 23/02/2021 16:52:29 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford attachment 1 file name national-referral-mechanism-statistics-uk-quarter-3-2020-july-to-september-hosb3320.pdf title National Referral Mechanism Stats
tabling member	4197 label Biography information for Baroness Doocey

1285391

registered interest
date	09/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Human Trafficking: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the types of exploitation experienced by child trafficking victims in the UK; and whether they have identified any change in the types of such exploitation over the past 10 years.
tabling member printed	Baroness Doocey
uin	HL13169
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2021 answer text <p>This Government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and ensuring that all victims, including children, are provided with the support they need.</p><p>The Home Office continues to work with a range of partners to identify and deliver effective prevention activity. This includes awareness raising initiatives such as the Government’s ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ campaign and the #SlaveryonYourDoorstep campaign led by CrimeStoppers. We also have a dedicated GOV.UK resources page that provides up-to-date information on how to spot the signs of modern slavery and report concerns.</p><p>Where children are found to be potential victims of human trafficking or modern slavery their safety and welfare are addressed as a priority. Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in their area, including child victims of modern slavery. Local children's services will work in close co-operation with the police and other statutory agencies to offer potentially trafficked children the protection and support they require.</p><p>With regard to the types of exploitation experienced by child trafficking victims in the UK and any change in the types of exploitation being identified over the past 10 years, the Home Office publishes statistics on National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referrals on a quarterly basis. The NRM statistics for 2012 to 2016 can be found here: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20170404150655/http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statistics.</p><p>The NRM statistics for 2017 to 2018 can be found here: https://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/who-we-are/publications?search=&amp;category%5B%5D=3&amp;=%2Fwho-we-are%2Fpublications%3Flimit%3D15%26sort%3Dtitle%26direction%3Dasc&amp;limit=100&amp;tag=</p><p>The 2019 report and Q1-Q3 of 2020 can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics" target="_blank">h</a>ttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics</p><p>With regard to why some potential child trafficking victims are recorded as having experienced an unknown type of exploitation, the Home Office is currently addressing an earlier identified error that occurred in the data processing for the Q1-Q3 of 2020 statistics where some sexual exploitation referrals were miscategorised as ‘Not recorded or unknown’. Once this error is rectified, the number of sexual exploitation referrals will be higher than in the current statistical bulletins and the number of ‘not recorded or unknown’ referrals will be lower. The updated data will be released alongside the Quarter 4 (October to December 2020) statistics which are being prepared and will be released on 18 March 2021.</p><p>At the Reasonable Grounds stage of the National Referral Mechanism, the standard of proof is ‘suspects but cannot prove’. In Q2 and Q3 of 2020, 96% of Reasonable Grounds decisions made on child cases were positive.</p><p>Prior to the NRM digital case working system going live in January 2020, data collection on NRM cases included an ‘unknown’ exploitation category for any unknown case exploitation types. Since the new system has been introduced, there is now an ‘other exploitation’ free-text box that First Responders can fill in on the referral form to explain why they are unable to identify the exploitation type. The information contained within this box is considered by a Decision Maker when making the Reasonable Grounds decision. However, for data reporting purposes, this is classified as ‘unknown’.</p><p>Reasonable Grounds decisions are made based on the account of exploitation submitted in the form and not specifically on the exploitation type data, which is recorded to enable data analysis rather than to specifically support decision-making.</p><p>The Home Office continues to work with First Responders to ensure they understand the indicators of different exploitation types and, in July 2020, we released a new First Responder e-learning module which includes support on this issue.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL13168 HL13170 HL13171 question first answered 23/02/2021 16:52:29 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford attachment 1 file name national-referral-mechanism-statistics-uk-quarter-3-2020-july-to-september-hosb3320.pdf title National Referral Mechanism Stats
tabling member	4197 label Biography information for Baroness Doocey

1285392

registered interest
date	09/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Human Trafficking: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reason why some potential child trafficking victims are recorded as having experienced an unknown type of exploitation; and whether that can influence the outcome of any reasonable grounds decision made under the National Referral Mechanism.
tabling member printed	Baroness Doocey
uin	HL13170
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2021 answer text <p>This Government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and ensuring that all victims, including children, are provided with the support they need.</p><p>The Home Office continues to work with a range of partners to identify and deliver effective prevention activity. This includes awareness raising initiatives such as the Government’s ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ campaign and the #SlaveryonYourDoorstep campaign led by CrimeStoppers. We also have a dedicated GOV.UK resources page that provides up-to-date information on how to spot the signs of modern slavery and report concerns.</p><p>Where children are found to be potential victims of human trafficking or modern slavery their safety and welfare are addressed as a priority. Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in their area, including child victims of modern slavery. Local children's services will work in close co-operation with the police and other statutory agencies to offer potentially trafficked children the protection and support they require.</p><p>With regard to the types of exploitation experienced by child trafficking victims in the UK and any change in the types of exploitation being identified over the past 10 years, the Home Office publishes statistics on National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referrals on a quarterly basis. The NRM statistics for 2012 to 2016 can be found here: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20170404150655/http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statistics.</p><p>The NRM statistics for 2017 to 2018 can be found here: https://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/who-we-are/publications?search=&amp;category%5B%5D=3&amp;=%2Fwho-we-are%2Fpublications%3Flimit%3D15%26sort%3Dtitle%26direction%3Dasc&amp;limit=100&amp;tag=</p><p>The 2019 report and Q1-Q3 of 2020 can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics" target="_blank">h</a>ttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics</p><p>With regard to why some potential child trafficking victims are recorded as having experienced an unknown type of exploitation, the Home Office is currently addressing an earlier identified error that occurred in the data processing for the Q1-Q3 of 2020 statistics where some sexual exploitation referrals were miscategorised as ‘Not recorded or unknown’. Once this error is rectified, the number of sexual exploitation referrals will be higher than in the current statistical bulletins and the number of ‘not recorded or unknown’ referrals will be lower. The updated data will be released alongside the Quarter 4 (October to December 2020) statistics which are being prepared and will be released on 18 March 2021.</p><p>At the Reasonable Grounds stage of the National Referral Mechanism, the standard of proof is ‘suspects but cannot prove’. In Q2 and Q3 of 2020, 96% of Reasonable Grounds decisions made on child cases were positive.</p><p>Prior to the NRM digital case working system going live in January 2020, data collection on NRM cases included an ‘unknown’ exploitation category for any unknown case exploitation types. Since the new system has been introduced, there is now an ‘other exploitation’ free-text box that First Responders can fill in on the referral form to explain why they are unable to identify the exploitation type. The information contained within this box is considered by a Decision Maker when making the Reasonable Grounds decision. However, for data reporting purposes, this is classified as ‘unknown’.</p><p>Reasonable Grounds decisions are made based on the account of exploitation submitted in the form and not specifically on the exploitation type data, which is recorded to enable data analysis rather than to specifically support decision-making.</p><p>The Home Office continues to work with First Responders to ensure they understand the indicators of different exploitation types and, in July 2020, we released a new First Responder e-learning module which includes support on this issue.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL13168 HL13169 HL13171 question first answered 23/02/2021 16:52:29 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford attachment 1 file name national-referral-mechanism-statistics-uk-quarter-3-2020-july-to-september-hosb3320.pdf title National Referral Mechanism Stats
tabling member	4197 label Biography information for Baroness Doocey

1285393

registered interest
date	09/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Human Trafficking: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of potential child trafficking victims recorded as facing an unknown type of exploitation under the National Referral Mechanism.
tabling member printed	Baroness Doocey
uin	HL13171
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2021 answer text <p>This Government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and ensuring that all victims, including children, are provided with the support they need.</p><p>The Home Office continues to work with a range of partners to identify and deliver effective prevention activity. This includes awareness raising initiatives such as the Government’s ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ campaign and the #SlaveryonYourDoorstep campaign led by CrimeStoppers. We also have a dedicated GOV.UK resources page that provides up-to-date information on how to spot the signs of modern slavery and report concerns.</p><p>Where children are found to be potential victims of human trafficking or modern slavery their safety and welfare are addressed as a priority. Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in their area, including child victims of modern slavery. Local children's services will work in close co-operation with the police and other statutory agencies to offer potentially trafficked children the protection and support they require.</p><p>With regard to the types of exploitation experienced by child trafficking victims in the UK and any change in the types of exploitation being identified over the past 10 years, the Home Office publishes statistics on National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referrals on a quarterly basis. The NRM statistics for 2012 to 2016 can be found here: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20170404150655/http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statistics.</p><p>The NRM statistics for 2017 to 2018 can be found here: https://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/who-we-are/publications?search=&amp;category%5B%5D=3&amp;=%2Fwho-we-are%2Fpublications%3Flimit%3D15%26sort%3Dtitle%26direction%3Dasc&amp;limit=100&amp;tag=</p><p>The 2019 report and Q1-Q3 of 2020 can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics" target="_blank">h</a>ttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics</p><p>With regard to why some potential child trafficking victims are recorded as having experienced an unknown type of exploitation, the Home Office is currently addressing an earlier identified error that occurred in the data processing for the Q1-Q3 of 2020 statistics where some sexual exploitation referrals were miscategorised as ‘Not recorded or unknown’. Once this error is rectified, the number of sexual exploitation referrals will be higher than in the current statistical bulletins and the number of ‘not recorded or unknown’ referrals will be lower. The updated data will be released alongside the Quarter 4 (October to December 2020) statistics which are being prepared and will be released on 18 March 2021.</p><p>At the Reasonable Grounds stage of the National Referral Mechanism, the standard of proof is ‘suspects but cannot prove’. In Q2 and Q3 of 2020, 96% of Reasonable Grounds decisions made on child cases were positive.</p><p>Prior to the NRM digital case working system going live in January 2020, data collection on NRM cases included an ‘unknown’ exploitation category for any unknown case exploitation types. Since the new system has been introduced, there is now an ‘other exploitation’ free-text box that First Responders can fill in on the referral form to explain why they are unable to identify the exploitation type. The information contained within this box is considered by a Decision Maker when making the Reasonable Grounds decision. However, for data reporting purposes, this is classified as ‘unknown’.</p><p>Reasonable Grounds decisions are made based on the account of exploitation submitted in the form and not specifically on the exploitation type data, which is recorded to enable data analysis rather than to specifically support decision-making.</p><p>The Home Office continues to work with First Responders to ensure they understand the indicators of different exploitation types and, in July 2020, we released a new First Responder e-learning module which includes support on this issue.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL13168 HL13169 HL13170 question first answered 23/02/2021 16:52:29 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford attachment 1 file name national-referral-mechanism-statistics-uk-quarter-3-2020-july-to-september-hosb3320.pdf title National Referral Mechanism Stats
tabling member	4197 label Biography information for Baroness Doocey

1284578

registered interest
date	08/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Slavery
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they published their most recent strategy on the prevention of modern slavery.
tabling member printed	Baroness Doocey
uin	HL13067
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/02/2021 answer text <p>The UK is regarded as a world-leader for its response to modern slavery. The UK response is underpinned by the Modern Slavery Strategy 2014 and the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the first legislation of its kind. The Modern Slavery Strategy 2014 is structured around a ‘four Ps’ framework including a strategic pillar on prevent.</p><p>The Home Office continues to work with a range of partners to identify and deliver effective prevention activity. This included successful awareness raising initiatives such as the Government’s ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ campaign, as well as training for frontline responders to better prevent and spot the signs of modern slavery. We also have a dedicated <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/modern-slavery-training-resource-page/modern-slavery-training-resource-page" target="_blank">GOV.UK</a> (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/modern-slavery-training-resource-page/modern-slavery-training-resource-page" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/modern-slavery-training-resource-page/modern-slavery-training-resource-page</a>) resources page that provides up-to-date information on how to spot the signs of modern slavery and report concerns.</p><p>In addition, HMG is investing £10m to fund Modern Slavery Policy and Evidence Centre to bring together and commission innovative research to enhance the evidence base on modern slavery, including on strengthening prevention initiatives.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 22/02/2021 17:04:38 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4197 label Biography information for Baroness Doocey