Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Transport

Oral Answers to Questions

Keith Vaz Excerpts
Thursday 28th October 2010

(14 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Keith Vaz Portrait Keith Vaz (Leicester East) (Lab)
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The question is about co-ordination. By which mechanism can the origin, transition and destination countries get together to deal with the problem of human trafficking?

Baroness Featherstone Portrait Lynne Featherstone
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We do that already without legislation. We have been very involved in Europe in terms of trafficking. Human trafficking is a key area under the Stockholm programme, which sets out the EU justice and home affairs priorities. We also helped to shape the draft EU trafficking directive and helped with the first Schengen evaluation on human trafficking. We are working closely with European colleagues. Quite frankly, it is better that we work in the countries of origin, as the right hon. Gentleman suggests, so that we stop trafficking at source by working with the Serious Organised Crime Agency, after which we should work at our borders and then in-country.