Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government (1) whether the National Referral Mechanism and the Victim Care Contract have been extended to provide support and assistance to all victims of modern slavery covered by sections 1 and 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, as recommended by the National Referral Mechanism Review 2014; and (2) if so, what criteria are being used to determine whether an individual is a victim of modern slavery for the purposes of receiving such support.

The National Referral Mechanism and Adult Victim Care Contract in respect of England and Wales will be extended to victims of modern slavery from 31 July. Discussions are ongoing with the Devolved Administrations to extend this provision across the whole of the UK.

An individual will be considered a victim of modern slavery where they meet the existing criteria for being a victim of trafficking, as set out in the Council of Europe Convention, or where they are a victim of slavery, servitude, or forced and compulsory labour, in line with the section 1 offence of the Modern Slavery Act, and in accordance with Article 4 of the Human Rights Convention.