Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Lewer Excerpts

Wednesday 7th December 2022 Commons Chamber

[Sally-Ann Hart (Hastings and Rye) (Con)]

2. What steps she is taking to increase prosecution rates for (a) small boat gangs and (b) other people traffickers.

[Andrew Lewer (Northampton South) (Con)]

3. What steps she is taking to increase prosecution rates for (a) small boat gangs and (b) other people traffickers.

[Tom Randall (Gedling) (Con)]

12. What steps she is taking to increase prosecution rates for (a) small boat gangs and (b) other people traffickers.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Attorney General]

My hon. Friend is a great champion for beautiful Hastings and Rye. The Government routinely work with international partners to disrupt organised crime groups. The CPS has deployed a criminal justice adviser in France who supports prosecutions on both sides of the channel. We also collaborate with other jurisdictions, for example through Eurojust—the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation—on sharing evidence-gathering where that is appropriate.

[Andrew Lewer]

To protect increasingly stretched capacity in places such as Northampton for genuine asylum seekers, what steps is the Attorney General taking to increase prosecution rates for those behind the exploitative people-trafficking in relation to migration from high-volume but safe countries in particular?

[The Attorney General]

The rate of prosecutions for people trafficking has increased enormously: in 2021-22 it rose by 48%, owing to intensive collaboration between the police and prosecutors.