Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the timetable for the (a) drafting of and (b) public consultation on the statutory guidance on victim support as set out under Section 49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

The Government recognises the importance of publishing guidance under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act on the identification of and support for potential victims of modern slavery.

Whilst there is no duty to consult on the s49 statutory guidance we began working closely with stakeholders across the sector on drafting the guidance shortly after commencement of the Act. This work was paused to accommodate changes to identification and support as part of the reforms to the National Referral Mechanism. Work on the guidance has resumed and we will publish it as soon as we are able. We will issue a timetable providing the detail of this in due course.