Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their planned timescale for the national rollout of the Independent Child Trafficking Advocates Scheme in 2019.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
In July 2018, the Government announced that it would roll out the Independent Child Trafficking Advocates (ICTAs) service to one third of local authorities by April 2019. Following this expansion of the service, we estimate that one third of all children referred into the NRM will be eligible to access the ICTA service in England and Wales.
Section 48 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which makes provisions for ICTAs, is being considered in the Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act led by Frank Field, Baroness Butler-Sloss and Maria Miller. The Government will carefully consider any recommendations about ICTAs which come out of the review.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken, if any, to assess the links between organised crime networks, re-trafficking and children who go missing from care after being referred to the National Referral Mechanism.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The unaccompanied asylum seeking (UASC) Safeguarding Strategy, published in November 2017, included a commitment to pilot a standardised process for police when they first encounter an unaccompanied child, to inform effective practice in preventing UASC from going missing. Hertfordshire Police successfully implemented their First Encounter Pilot which has reduced missing incidents of the children it identified. It is now available to all forces nationally; to date 12 forces have begun implementing the process.
We are working to deliver a National Register of Missing Persons (NRMP) and for it to be in operation in 2020/2021. The Home Office is working to update the Government’s Missing Children and Adults Strategy, which was published in 2011. The refreshed strategy will be accompanied by an implementation plan that will include an action to deliver the NRMP.
On 16 January 2017, the Home Secretary announced £2.2m from the Child Trafficking Protection Fund. This has been awarded to seven organisations to protect vulnerable children in the UK and overseas who are at risk of trafficking.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) regularly publishes National Referral Mechanism (NRM) data but does not publish data about the number, proportion and referrals that have been made to the National Referral Mechanism as result of gang involvement. Latest statistics on NRM referrals and decisions are available at the following link:
Further information is also available in the 2018 UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery which was published on 18 October 2018.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2018-uk-annual-report-on-modern-slavery
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the difference in needs between (1) children who have been trafficked from overseas, and (2) British children who have been trafficked internally; and how the current provision of support differs between those two groups.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government introduced Independent Child Trafficking Advocates in three early adopter sites (Greater Manchester, Hampshire and nationally in Wales). The service has been running in these sites from January 2017 until January 2019. An interim assessment of the first year of the Independent Child Trafficking Advocate (ICTA) service (February 2017 – January 2018) and associated data tables were published in July 2018 and can be found https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/730098/assessment-of-independent-child-trafficking-advocates-horr101.pdf
In July 2018, the Government announced that it would roll out the ICTA service to one third of local authorities by April 2019. Following the expansion of the service, around one third of all children that we estimate will be referred into the NRM will be eligible to access the ICTA service in England and Wales.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which Minister was responsible for approving the reduction to subsistence allowances for victims of modern slavery; and whether the Prime Minister was advised of this decision.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
he Government is committed to tacking the scourge of modern slavery and supporting those affected by this crime.
In 2017, Home Office Ministers agreed a comprehensive package of reforms to the National Referral Mechanism, which included the introduction of places of safety for those leaving situations of exploitation, trebling the period of move on support to assist victims moving out of government funded support and aligning the subsistence rates paid to potential victims of modern slavery with those received by asylum seekers.
In light of the judgment in K and AM, the Home Office has immediately reinstated the top up paid to those in the Victim Care Contract who are also receiving support from the asylum support system, so that they receive a total of £65 per week.
We are currently putting in place processes to ensure that those who have been affected receive a full back payment as soon as possible, and will set out how we plan to respond in due course, including our communications with all those affected.
We are committed to reforming the National Referral Mechanism to ensure that as many victims of modern slavery as possible get the support they need.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the High Court Judgement in the case of K & AM v Secretary of State for the Home Department delivered on 8 November, whether they plan to issue a formal apology to each victim of modern slavery affected by the reduction in the amount of subsistence allowance.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
he Government is committed to tacking the scourge of modern slavery and supporting those affected by this crime.
In 2017, Home Office Ministers agreed a comprehensive package of reforms to the National Referral Mechanism, which included the introduction of places of safety for those leaving situations of exploitation, trebling the period of move on support to assist victims moving out of government funded support and aligning the subsistence rates paid to potential victims of modern slavery with those received by asylum seekers.
In light of the judgment in K and AM, the Home Office has immediately reinstated the top up paid to those in the Victim Care Contract who are also receiving support from the asylum support system, so that they receive a total of £65 per week.
We are currently putting in place processes to ensure that those who have been affected receive a full back payment as soon as possible, and will set out how we plan to respond in due course, including our communications with all those affected.
We are committed to reforming the National Referral Mechanism to ensure that as many victims of modern slavery as possible get the support they need.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the High Court Judgement in the case of K & AM v Secretary of State for the Home Department delivered on 8 November, by what mechanism they will pay back the amount of subsistence owed to each victim of modern slavery.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
he Government is committed to tacking the scourge of modern slavery and supporting those affected by this crime.
In 2017, Home Office Ministers agreed a comprehensive package of reforms to the National Referral Mechanism, which included the introduction of places of safety for those leaving situations of exploitation, trebling the period of move on support to assist victims moving out of government funded support and aligning the subsistence rates paid to potential victims of modern slavery with those received by asylum seekers.
In light of the judgment in K and AM, the Home Office has immediately reinstated the top up paid to those in the Victim Care Contract who are also receiving support from the asylum support system, so that they receive a total of £65 per week.
We are currently putting in place processes to ensure that those who have been affected receive a full back payment as soon as possible, and will set out how we plan to respond in due course, including our communications with all those affected.
We are committed to reforming the National Referral Mechanism to ensure that as many victims of modern slavery as possible get the support they need.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the guidance about identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery, in accordance with section 49(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government recognises its obligations under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act to publish statutory guidance on the identification of and support for potential victims of modern slavery.
We have worked closely with stakeholders across the sector to draft statutory guidance since the Modern Slavery Act came into force, and will publish guidance as soon as we are able. We will announce a timetable in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have issued instructions for officials to delay consideration of discretionary leave for victims of trafficking until they consider the Court of Appeal judgment in PK(Ghana) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] EWCA Civ 98.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Following the judgment in PK(Ghana) officials were instructed to temporarily defer most decisions on whether to grant discretionary leave to remain to trafficking victims. This was to enable new guidance to be prepared that would take account of the findings of the Court.
Grants of discretionary leave continued to be made if it was found that a grant was necessary to enable a trafficking victim to seek compensation through the courts or to assist the police with a criminal investigation or prosecution. Victims also continued to be granted leave if they qualified for refugee status or under other provisions in the Immigration Rules.
The new guidance was published on 8 August 2018 and normal decision making has therefore resumed. The guidance is available on the GOV.UK web-pages at:
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will issue new guidance following the case of PK(Ghana) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] EWCA Civ 98.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Following the judgment in PK(Ghana) officials were instructed to temporarily defer most decisions on whether to grant discretionary leave to remain to trafficking victims. This was to enable new guidance to be prepared that would take account of the findings of the Court.
Grants of discretionary leave continued to be made if it was found that a grant was necessary to enable a trafficking victim to seek compensation through the courts or to assist the police with a criminal investigation or prosecution. Victims also continued to be granted leave if they qualified for refugee status or under other provisions in the Immigration Rules.
The new guidance was published on 8 August 2018 and normal decision making has therefore resumed. The guidance is available on the GOV.UK web-pages at:
Asked by: Baroness Doocey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, when they closed down the National Register for Unaccompanied Children in 2011, whether any (1) data on unaccompanied children, and (2) information regarding missing children and human trafficking concerns, was retained by central government.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The National Register for Unaccompanied Children (NRUC) was not administered by central Government. When the NRUC was closed, arrangements were made to dispose of all data held on the database. No information from the register was retained by central Government.