Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Minister for the Home Department, pursuant to oral contribution of 17 January 2018, what the evidential basis is for the increase in the number of cases being brought to prosecution under modern sex slavery.

Details of the increase in the total number of slavery and trafficking cases brought to prosecution is provided in the 2017 UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery available n gov.uk via the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652366/2017_uk_annual_report_on_modern_slavery.pdf

Table 22 of the report provides CPS data which shows the total number of individuals prosecuted who were ‘flagged’ as being involved in modern slavery offending, regardless of whether their eventual prosecution or conviction was for a slavery or trafficking offence, or another offence.

These data include defendants involved in modern slavery offending who may have been prosecuted for other offences, so the figures provide the widest picture of the involvement of modern slavery offenders in the criminal justice system.