Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders (a) cautioned and (b) proceeded against in Magistrates' Courts have been found guilty and sentenced for human trafficking in (i) 2012, (ii) 2013 and (iii) 2014; and if he will make a statement.

The Modern Slavery Act 2015 consolidated and simplified existing modern slavery offences into one Act and increased the maximum sentence available for the most serious offenders from 14 years to life imprisonment. The 2015 Act also introduced Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders and Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders to restrict the activity of individuals where they pose a risk of causing harm. In addition, the Act makes sure that that perpetrators convicted of slavery or trafficking face the toughest asset confiscation regime. The Act also establishes the UK’s first ever Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner to drive forward the law enforcement response and hold them to account at all levels, ensuring that the perpetrators are caught and prosecuted and that the victims are swiftly identified so they can get help.

The number of offenders cautioned and defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced at all courts in England and Wales for (i) human trafficking for sexual exploitation and (ii) human trafficking for non-sexual exploitation, from 2012 to 2014, can be viewed in the Outcomes by Offence table in the most recent annual publication at the below link

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014