Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department of 26 October 2017, Official Report, col. 512, when she plans to initiate the consultation on the preparation of statutory guidance under s48 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 on the identification of and support for victims of modern slavery; what the terms of reference for that consultation will be; and between what dates that consultation will run.

On 26 October 2017 the Government announced its plans for reform of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) confirming the Government’s commitment to markedly improving the identification of, and support provided to, victims of modern slavery. This includes the laying of regulations to enshrine the rights of victims in law, and the development of statutory guidance under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Detailed implementation plans for the reform programme are currently being developed, including the process for consulting on the statutory guidance, and further information will be announced in due course.