Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism were made without the relevant first responder having met and interviewed the potential victim in person in (a) 2018 and (b) 2019.

It is not necessary for a First Responder to meet and interview a potential victim of modern slavery before referring them to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).

A First Responder’s decision whether to refer a potential victim into the NRM is based on their professional judgment and on the evidence available to them. Data about whether a First Responder has met and interviewed a potential victim is not currently specifically recorded within NRM referral forms.