Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether ensuring that survivors of modern slavery are able to rebuild their lives with adequate employment will be central to her proposed new anti-slavery strategy.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
On 24 March, the Government announced a review of the 2014 Modern Slavery Strategy, with a view to developing a new modern slavery strategy in due course.
A revised strategy will allow us to build on the considerable progress we have made to date, adapt our approach to the evolving nature of these crimes, and continue our leadership in tackling modern slavery.
The review will consider all aspects of the 2014 strategy and the Government’s future response, including our approach to victim support, law enforcement, supply chains, prevention and our international response.
The new strategy will be developed following a period of public engagement, including charities, and therefore we cannot pre-empt the content at this stage. Nonetheless, supporting victims to be able to rebuild their lives will continue to be a key plank of the Government’s approach.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when organisations will be permitted to share their learning in the form of high level, non-identifying data from their front-line work undertaken under the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Under the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC), a lot of personal and protected data is generated, stored and processed to enable delivery of key services to vulnerable victims.
The Single Competent Authority (SCA), who manage the MSVC Contract delivered by The Salvation Army (TSA), is currently reviewing how such data can be appropriately handled for research purposes.
It is imperative to get the balance right between ensuring that rich data can support insights into key operational and policy activities, and ensuring that (when such data is utilised) it is done in ways which are fully compliant with data protection rules and are transparent to the victims themselves.
Service providers are already able to engage with TSA and the SCA should they want to provide high level, non-identifying data for the purposes of research.
The SCA has been communicating with MSVCC service providers about this ongoing work, and the potential next steps in agreeing a contractual mechanism to manage any such future research.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Home Office plans to publish an explanation of its prohibition of the use of any data which results from the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Under the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC), a lot of personal and protected data is generated, stored and processed to enable delivery of key services to vulnerable victims.
The Single Competent Authority (SCA), who manage the MSVC Contract delivered by The Salvation Army (TSA), is currently reviewing how such data can be appropriately handled for research purposes.
It is imperative to get the balance right between ensuring that rich data can support insights into key operational and policy activities, and ensuring that (when such data is utilised) it is done in ways which are fully compliant with data protection rules and are transparent to the victims themselves.
Service providers are already able to engage with TSA and the SCA should they want to provide high level, non-identifying data for the purposes of research.
The SCA has been communicating with MSVCC service providers about this ongoing work, and the potential next steps in agreeing a contractual mechanism to manage any such future research.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons subcontractors are not permitted to share high level, non-identifying data secured within the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract for the purposes of anti-trafficking research.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Under the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC), a lot of personal and protected data is generated, stored and processed to enable delivery of key services to vulnerable victims.
The Single Competent Authority (SCA), who manage the MSVC Contract delivered by The Salvation Army (TSA), is currently reviewing how such data can be appropriately handled for research purposes.
It is imperative to get the balance right between ensuring that rich data can support insights into key operational and policy activities, and ensuring that (when such data is utilised) it is done in ways which are fully compliant with data protection rules and are transparent to the victims themselves.
Service providers are already able to engage with TSA and the SCA should they want to provide high level, non-identifying data for the purposes of research.
The SCA has been communicating with MSVCC service providers about this ongoing work, and the potential next steps in agreeing a contractual mechanism to manage any such future research.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether police officers mobilised for the G7 summit will receive their covid-19 vaccinations in advance of that mobilisation to ensure the (a) operational resilience of and (b) safety of the public at that summit.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines is being delivered in line with the guidance of the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). This prioritises those who are most likely to suffer the most serious health outcomes as a result of catching the virus, where age is assessed to be the most significant factor. Police officers will continue to be vaccinated in line with the JCVI-guided prioritisation, and many will have received at least a first dose ahead of the G7 Summit in June.
We recognise the importance of Personal Protective Equipment for all of those on the frontline and continue to work with the police to ensure officers receive the essential equipment they need in order to carry out their jobs safely.
The health and safety of all staff and attendees at the Summit, and local residents in Cornwall, is paramount. Government will take all necessary measures to ensure that the G7 Summit is fully COVID-secure.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the ban on evictions applies to people who receive leave to remain and are asked to leave NASS accommodation.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Throughout the pandemic we have taken decisive action to ensure those seeking asylum in the UK have the support they need.
This has included providing accommodation for everyone who required it and pausing the cessation of support so that appropriate public health guidance could be followed. It was made clear from the outset that this was a temporary measure which would be brought to an end as soon as it was safe to do so.
The cessation of asylum support and transition to mainstream provision for those granted refugee status is taking a careful, phased approach in conjunction with relevant partners including the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and local authorities. We have shared our approach with public health authorities and will continue to work within heath guidelines and legal advice.
Those who have been granted asylum receive a cessation notice affording a 28-day grace period and Move-on support is provided throughout by the Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) service, operated by Migrant Help.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many no further action notices were issued by the police in each month in (a) 2019 and (b) 2020 in (i) the UK and (ii) each region of the UK.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Offices publishes the investigative outcomes of crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales on a quarterly basis and the latest figures can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables
However, from the information held centrally, it is not possible to separately identify cases in which a person investigated with regard to a specific offence has been issued with a “No Further Action” notice.
As policing is a devolved matter, information for Scotland and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether financial support for victims of human trafficking is adjusted for inflation.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to UIN 120984 on 30th November 2020.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether potential victims of (a) trafficking or (b) modern slavery who were in the National Referral Mechanism before November 2019 (a) were offered and (b) received subsistence payments.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
In reference to your first question, the rates for financial support are set out in the Victim Care Contract (VCC) and Modern Slavery Act 2015: Statutory Guidance for England and Wales. These rates have not been adjusted for inflation, however, they are kept under review. The Home Office is currently working towards a new financial support policy that will focus on individual victims’ needs.
In reference to your second question, there is no distinction made between victims of trafficking and modern slavery in relation to support provided by the VCC. The current VCC has been operational since 2015; providing support to individuals who have been referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), have received a positive reasonable grounds decision and have consented to support. The VCC provides support through accommodation (where needed), financial support and specialist support workers.
We are aware that some individuals may have received incorrect financial support payments during their time in VCC support until 30 November 2019. Financial support payments may have been reduced as a result of them receiving alternative sources of income, in a way that was not in line with published policy or with the wording of the VCC. We are working at pace to establish who may have been affected. We will communicate further details on how we plan to rectify this issue in the coming weeks.
In reference to your third question, the data requested on how many and what proportion of people in the NRM from April 2019 to March 2020 are receiving subsistence payments does not currently form part of the published NRM statistics. The Home Office published quarterly statistics regarding the NRM which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people in the National Referral Mechanism from April 2019 to March 2020 (a) received and (b) did not receive weekly subsistence payments.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
In reference to your first question, the rates for financial support are set out in the Victim Care Contract (VCC) and Modern Slavery Act 2015: Statutory Guidance for England and Wales. These rates have not been adjusted for inflation, however, they are kept under review. The Home Office is currently working towards a new financial support policy that will focus on individual victims’ needs.
In reference to your second question, there is no distinction made between victims of trafficking and modern slavery in relation to support provided by the VCC. The current VCC has been operational since 2015; providing support to individuals who have been referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), have received a positive reasonable grounds decision and have consented to support. The VCC provides support through accommodation (where needed), financial support and specialist support workers.
We are aware that some individuals may have received incorrect financial support payments during their time in VCC support until 30 November 2019. Financial support payments may have been reduced as a result of them receiving alternative sources of income, in a way that was not in line with published policy or with the wording of the VCC. We are working at pace to establish who may have been affected. We will communicate further details on how we plan to rectify this issue in the coming weeks.
In reference to your third question, the data requested on how many and what proportion of people in the NRM from April 2019 to March 2020 are receiving subsistence payments does not currently form part of the published NRM statistics. The Home Office published quarterly statistics regarding the NRM which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics.