Modern Slavery National Referral Mechanism: Waiting Times Debate
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Baroness Brinton
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Modern Slavery National Referral Mechanism: Waiting Times
Baroness Brinton Excerpts(3 weeks ago)
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Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con)
I am afraid that is the first I have heard of it, so I have no opinion on it.
Baroness Brinton (LD)
My Lords, the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre’s paper on the 2023 national referral mechanism statistics notes with some concern that the data raises
“significant questions over the decision-making process”
as a result of changes to the statutory guidance that came in in January 2023 and not changes in the number of likely victims of modern slavery. Can the Minister say that the systems do not put victims of modern slavery at further risk?
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con)
I go back to an earlier answer I gave, that these are extraordinarily complex cases and, therefore, the guidance has to be refined in light of those cases periodically. I do not know to what specifically the noble Baroness is referring but, as far as I am aware, it does not make it any more complicated.