Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any checks have been made by the Department of Health and Social Care regarding products it uses which contain cotton about where the cotton was grown.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Supply Chain, which supplies the majority of medical goods, products and consumables for the National Health Service, has had a Supplier Code of Conduct, based on the principles of the UN Global Compact, in place since 2009. Under the Code all suppliers, including suppliers of cotton products, are expected to adhere to these principles, which address issues including child labour, forced labour, wages, working hours and health and safety. NHS Supply Chain suppliers must undertake a Modern Slavery Assessment on the United Kingdom Government’s Supplier Portal.
Section 47 of the Health and Social Care Act 2022 introduced a statutory duty for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to undertake a review into the risk of slavery and human trafficking taking place in NHS supply chains, specifically focusing on cotton-based products, and to lay a report before Parliament on its outcomes within 18 months. The Review is being undertaken by NHS Supply Chain, with oversight from NHS England.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress the Government has made on the appointment of an Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The role of the Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC) as set out in the 2015 Modern Slavery Act is to encourage good practice in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of slavery and human trafficking offences and the identification of victims.
The Home Secretary recognises the importance of the role of Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and had launched a new open competition to recruit for this role.
The role went live on 23 February 2023 and applications have now closed. For further information and the estimated timeline for this appointment please see the public appointment section on gov.uk.
The competition will be conducted as quickly as possible, whilst ensuring we take the necessary steps to recruit the best person for the role.
Asked by: Baroness Adams of Craigielea (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the expected impact of their Illegal Migration Bill on victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
The UK government remains committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and supporting victims. The Illegal Migration Bill will prevent people who come to the UK through illegal and dangerous journeys from accessing the provisions of the National Referral Mechanism.
It is right that the government takes steps to address the threat to public order posed by individuals making dangerous journeys that cause loss of life and are inherently unsafe, both for themselves and First Responders.
We support thousands of victims each year and will continue to do so following the implementation of the Illegal Migration Bill.
We are working on developing guidance regarding the operation of these measures, including any potential impacts and how they relate to victims of Modern Slavery, to be introduced when it is appropriate to do so once the Illegal Migration Bill has progressed through Parliament.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of how many people resident in the UK are victims of (a) human trafficking and (b) modern slavery.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes statistics of potential victims of modern slavery referred to the National Referral Mechanism. These are based on potential victims who are identified by a range of first responders and are not estimates. The 2022 statistics can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1139171/modern-slavery-national-referral-mechanism-and-duty-to-notify-statistics-uk-end-of-year-summary-2022.ods.
Further disaggregated data is published via the UK Data Service and can be accessed here: https://beta.ukdataservice.ac.uk/datacatalogue/studies/study?id=8910.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of how many Albanian nationals in the UK are victims of (a) human trafficking and (b) modern slavery.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office publishes statistics of potential victims of modern slavery referred to the National Referral Mechanism. These are based on potential victims who are identified by a range of first responders and are not estimates. The 2022 statistics can be found here;
Further disaggregated data is published via the UK Data Service and can be accessed here: https://beta.ukdataservice.ac.uk/datacatalogue/studies/study?id=8910
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of people who would not be eligible for asylum under the Illegal Migration Bill who would be eligible to be sent to (a) a third country and (b) their country of origin.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Illegal Migration Bill will change the law so that people who come to the UK illegally can be detained and then swiftly returned to a safe third country or their home country. If they cannot be returned to their home country, then they will be relocated to a third safe country, such as Rwanda, where they will receive support to rebuild their lives. If someone is identified as a potential victim of modern slavery or human trafficking, we will ensure they are safely returned home or to another safe country, away from those who have trafficked them.
The Secretary of State is not required to make arrangements to remove an unaccompanied child from the UK until they turn 18 years old, but there is a power to do so. As a matter of current policy this power will only be exercised in limited circumstances ahead of them reaching adulthood, such as for the purposes of family reunion or where removal is to a safe country of origin.
Asked by: Tony Lloyd (Labour - Rochdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to appoint a new Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The role of the Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC) as set out in the 2015 Modern Slavery Act is to encourage good practice in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of slavery and human trafficking offences and the identification of victims.
The Home Secretary recognises the importance of the role of Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and has launched a new open competition to recruit for this role.
The advert for the role went live on 23 February 2023 and can be found on the public appointment section on gov.uk with an estimate timeline for the appointment.
The competition will be conducted as quickly as possible, whilst ensuring we take the necessary steps to recruit the best person for the role.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether police informed her Department that asylum-seeking children who had recently arrived in the UK without parents or carers and who were staying in Home Office accommodation could be targeted by human traffickers.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All asylum seekers, including children, have an interview on arrival in the UK which includes a series of questions designed to understand whether there are any potential indicators of trafficking and to identify any vulnerabilities.
If there are any indicators that a child is potentially at risk of modern slavery a referral is made to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). The Single Competent Authority (SCA) will make a decision on this referral. Children who are identified to be at risk are placed on a safety plan by the safeguarding team.
We have no power to detain unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) in temporary hotel accommodation. Many of those who have gone missing are subsequently traced and located. There are many reasons why children go missing from care and this is also true of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
The safety and wellbeing of those in our care is our primary concern. Robust safeguarding and welfare procedures are in place to ensure all children and minors are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority. This includes support workers being onsite in the hotels 24 hours a day, including nurses and social workers. All contingency sites have security staff on site and providers liaise closely with local police to ensure the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on (a) recruiting and (b) appointing a new Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The role of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC) as set out in the 2015 Modern Slavery Act is to encourage good practice in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of slavery and human trafficking offences and the identification of victims.
The Home Secretary recognises the importance of the role of Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and has committed to running a new open competition to recruit for this role; the process will begin shortly.
The competition will be conducted as quickly as possible, whilst ensuring we take the necessary steps to recruit the best person for the role.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Durham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they provide concerning the supervision of women by male officers at immigration removal centres; and whether they will review the use of male officers for supervision of women at Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
We remain focused on the specific needs for women in our care and Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) is operated in line with the Detention Centre Rules 2001, published operating standards for IRCs and Detention Services Orders.
It is routine for best practice to be shared across the Detention Engagement Teams and we have robust mechanisms in place for staff to raise issues or concerns with senior leaders. Derwentside, as the sole female only IRC, presents both unique challenges and opportunities.
Published guidance, and the training received by detainee custody officers makes it clear that physical force, and the use of waist restraint belts or handcuffs, should only be used after a thorough assessment of risk, and in consideration of each individual’s personal circumstances. Restraints should be removed at the earliest opportunity.
The Home Office reviews all reports resulting from a use of force to ensure that techniques are used proportionately, that they are justified, and are used for the minimum period required. Since the inspection took place Control and Restraint instructors have attended the centre to provide additional coaching and incident management support to staff. A bespoke package of training commenced in November 2022 and monthly use of force review meetings commenced in September 2022. In addition, the supplier centre manager reviews all incidents involving use of force, following a review undertaken by the supplier duty director. All use of force incidents are additionally peer reviewed by the supplier’s use of force committees from two other IRCs (Heathrow and Dungavel) to provide an additional layer of governance and independent scrutiny.
All staff working with women receive appropriate gender specific training (such as the protocol for entry to bedrooms), in addition to any generic training they receive when they undergo initial training, and undertake appropriate refresher training, this includes equality and diversity, human trafficking and modern slavery. Detention Service Order 06/2016 Women in the Detention Estate sets out the minimum provision of services for women and can be found on gov.uk here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/women-in-detention.