Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) women and (b) girls from Eastern Europe who were trafficked to the UK and subsequently (i) compelled and (ii) forced to commit criminal acts in each of the last five years.

We do not routinely collect the required data to estimate the number of women and girls from Eastern Europe who were trafficked to the UK and were subsequently compelled or forced to commit criminal acts.

In 2022, 479 females were referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) who reported criminal exploitation, either partly or wholly.

For adult victims of modern slavery who enter the NRM, the Home Office funds the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC), contracted to spend £379 million over 5 years, to provide specialist support through the provision of safehouse accommodation, support-worker contact and financial assistance.

In addition, between 2016 and March 2023, the Home Office has spent over £37 million through the Modern Slavery Fund to combat modern slavery overseas and reduce the threat of human trafficking to the UK.