Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle human trafficking and modern slavery at (a) airports and (b) seaports; and if he will make a statement.

The Home Office is committed to protecting the vulnerable and modern slav-ery remains a top priority for Border Force and its operational partners.

Border Force has a network of specially trained Safeguarding and Modern Slavery (SAMS) teams based in all regions. SAMS officers are operational and readily available to ensure children and vulnerable people, including potential victims of modern slavery are dealt with effectively.

All frontline officers undertake mandatory training in SAMS related issues including keeping children safe, recognising trafficking indicators, the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

Border Force also participates in multi-agency anti trafficking operations, engaging with airlines and port operators to provide training in modern slavery detection.