Asked by: Chris Murray (Labour - Edinburgh East and Musselburgh)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when is the next review date for the National Referral Mechanism guidance; and whether that review will consider the barriers to referral routes for Overseas Domestic Worker visa holders at risk of modern slavery.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The “Modern Slavery: Statutory Guidance for England and Wales (under s49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015) and Non-Statutory Guidance for Scotland and Northern Ireland” is regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that it remains current and effective for decision-makers and first responders.
Following the conclusion of the Call for Evidence on the Identification of Victims of Modern Slavery, we are considering the evidence received and how identification and referrals can be improved.
Overseas Domestic Workers who find themselves a victim of modern slavery can be referred into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) by a designated First Responder.
Asked by: Chris Murray (Labour - Edinburgh East and Musselburgh)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans the Fair Work Agency has to collect data on Overseas Domestic Worker visa holders at risk of exploitation; and in what way this data will inform the Agency's enforcement priorities.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Fair Work Agency (FWA) has taken on the former Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority’s responsibility for enforcing legislation relating to labour exploitation and modern slavery.
Workers on Overseas Domestic Worker visas have the same protections and rights under employment law as British and settled workers. All employers are expected to comply with UK employment law.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 provides a robust legal framework for safe and effective information sharing and data gathering between specified bodies. The FWA will use this framework to help inform and make decisions on future priorities.
Asked by: Chris Murray (Labour - Edinburgh East and Musselburgh)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Strategic Housing Specialists have been employed in women's prisons; and whether he plans to increase that number.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
There is provision for 50 full-time equivalent Strategic Housing Specialists in England and Wales. Nine of these provide intervention within the twelve prisons in the female estate. The provision of Strategic Housing Specialists is regularly reviewed to ensure consistent coverage of the resettlement estate.
Asked by: Chris Murray (Labour - Edinburgh East and Musselburgh)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his target number is of Strategic Housing Specialists in women's prisons.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
There is provision for 50 full-time equivalent Strategic Housing Specialists in England and Wales. Nine of these provide intervention within the twelve prisons in the female estate. The provision of Strategic Housing Specialists is regularly reviewed to ensure consistent coverage of the resettlement estate.
Asked by: Chris Murray (Labour - Edinburgh East and Musselburgh)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the average time taken to make a Reasonable Grounds decision for people currently held in immigration detention.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government has been clear that identifying and protecting victims of modern slavery is a priority for this government.
Obtaining the specific information requested regarding those in detention with a positive reasonable ground’s decision is not something that can be provided easily.
The government publishes regular statistics on the number of referrals into the system alongside the outcomes of those decisions. Those can be found on gov.uk – the most recent publication covering the period July-September 2025 show that the average time taken from referral to reasonable grounds decision was 6 days across both competent authorities.
Asked by: Chris Murray (Labour - Edinburgh East and Musselburgh)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people currently held in immigration detention have received a positive Reasonable Grounds decision under the the National Referral Mechanism.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
This government has been clear that identifying and protecting victims of modern slavery is a priority for this government.
Obtaining the specific information requested regarding those in detention with a positive reasonable ground’s decision is not something that can be provided easily.
The government publishes regular statistics on the number of referrals into the system alongside the outcomes of those decisions. Those can be found on gov.uk – the most recent publication covering the period July-September 2025 show that the average time taken from referral to reasonable grounds decision was 6 days across both competent authorities.
Asked by: Chris Murray (Labour - Edinburgh East and Musselburgh)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to help ensure that the Border Force’s freight inspection targets at UK borders are met and what recent progress has been made on reaching these targets.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Border Force have, and continue to, hit freight inspection targets and expect that this performance will be maintained throughout the remainder of the financial year.
Asked by: Chris Murray (Labour - Edinburgh East and Musselburgh)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the structures in place for the Fair Work Agency to collaborate with other Government departments to (a) prevent and (b) disrupt modern slavery.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Fair Work Agency will take on the full remit of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA).
Collaborating with other government bodies will be crucial to the Fair Work Agency effectively enforcing employment rights. We have ensured it will be able to share information with specified bodies where disclosures are relevant to their statutory function.
The Government is committed to ensuring the Fair Work Agency has what it needs to do its job. The Bill therefore provides for the transfer of existing staff to ensure we retain the relevant expertise.
Asked by: Chris Murray (Labour - Edinburgh East and Musselburgh)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans he has for the future of the Fair Work Agency; what statutory duties it will assume from the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority in responding to modern slavery and human trafficking; and what (a) resources, (b) staffing and (c) training he expects them to need.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Fair Work Agency will take on the full remit of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA).
Collaborating with other government bodies will be crucial to the Fair Work Agency effectively enforcing employment rights. We have ensured it will be able to share information with specified bodies where disclosures are relevant to their statutory function.
The Government is committed to ensuring the Fair Work Agency has what it needs to do its job. The Bill therefore provides for the transfer of existing staff to ensure we retain the relevant expertise.
Asked by: Chris Murray (Labour - Edinburgh East and Musselburgh)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Statement of 16 July 2025 on Call for Evidence – Identification of Victims of Modern Slavery, HCWS826, whether the call for evidence will consider the impact of the revised evidential requirements for reasonable grounds decisions on different groups and categories of potential modern slavery victims.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Identification of Victims of Modern Slavery Call for Evidence launched on 16 July 2025. It invites views on an effective system where victims are recognised early and accurately so they can be protected and receive appropriate assistance and support towards their recovery from exploitation.
The Call for Evidence is structured around three themes:
1) Definitions of victims of modern slavery;
2) Initial identification of victims of modern slavery; and
3) Formal identification of victims of modern slavery.
The full list of questions in the Call for Evidence is available at Identification of victims of modern slavery - GOV.UK. The Call for Evidence includes questions on the National Referral Mechanism decision-making process, including Reasonable Grounds and Conclusive Grounds decisions.
The Call for Evidence will be open for a 12-week period, meaning submissions can be provided up until Wednesday 8 October 2025.
Insights gathered through the Call for Evidence and wider stakeholder engagement will inform longer-term policy development.