Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent premises presented as massage parlours from being used to facilitate modern slavery, human trafficking, prostitution or money laundering.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime, including where exploitation has taken place under the guise of legitimate businesses, such as massage parlours. We are determined to safeguard victims and to bring the ruthless perpetrators of this crime to justice.
In December 2025, the Government committed within the “Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls”, to address many aspects of prostitution and sexual exploitation within England and Wales. Commitments include reviewing legislation, raising awareness among frontline agencies of what constitutes adult sexual exploitation, and strengthening police disruption of sexual exploitation. Further details on each of these commitments will be announced in due course.
The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through operational activity aimed at tackling modern slavery threats, and targeting prolific perpetrators.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council have developed a new framework for investigating modern slavery and includes a suite of products to guide forces to identify and tackle sexual exploitation. The framework provides a nationally consistent investigative framework to sustain progress and support forces in delivering a strong, evidence-based response to modern slavery, including sexual exploitation. This will further equip officers with practical tools for navigating modern slavery crimes and fill critical gaps in frontline knowledge to drive performance and support greater accountability.
We will work closely with the new National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Modern Slavery and police forces across England and Wales to support a strong, coordinated approach to ensuring that modern slavery is effectively identified, disrupted, and tackled.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is responsible for licensing arrangements for local authorities, and it would be for the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to determine whether those powers are adequate. We will continue to work closely across government to ensure there is a coordinated response to modern slavery and human trafficking.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with local authorities and police forces on the use of massage parlours by organised criminal groups.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime, including where exploitation has taken place under the guise of legitimate businesses, such as massage parlours. We are determined to safeguard victims and to bring the ruthless perpetrators of this crime to justice.
In December 2025, the Government committed within the “Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls”, to address many aspects of prostitution and sexual exploitation within England and Wales. Commitments include reviewing legislation, raising awareness among frontline agencies of what constitutes adult sexual exploitation, and strengthening police disruption of sexual exploitation. Further details on each of these commitments will be announced in due course.
The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through operational activity aimed at tackling modern slavery threats, and targeting prolific perpetrators.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council have developed a new framework for investigating modern slavery and includes a suite of products to guide forces to identify and tackle sexual exploitation. The framework provides a nationally consistent investigative framework to sustain progress and support forces in delivering a strong, evidence-based response to modern slavery, including sexual exploitation. This will further equip officers with practical tools for navigating modern slavery crimes and fill critical gaps in frontline knowledge to drive performance and support greater accountability.
We will work closely with the new National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Modern Slavery and police forces across England and Wales to support a strong, coordinated approach to ensuring that modern slavery is effectively identified, disrupted, and tackled.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is responsible for licensing arrangements for local authorities, and it would be for the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to determine whether those powers are adequate. We will continue to work closely across government to ensure there is a coordinated response to modern slavery and human trafficking.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has assessed the extent to which differences in local licensing arrangements affect the ability of agencies to identify potential victims of modern slavery in massage parlours.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime, including where exploitation has taken place under the guise of legitimate businesses, such as massage parlours. We are determined to safeguard victims and to bring the ruthless perpetrators of this crime to justice.
In December 2025, the Government committed within the “Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls”, to address many aspects of prostitution and sexual exploitation within England and Wales. Commitments include reviewing legislation, raising awareness among frontline agencies of what constitutes adult sexual exploitation, and strengthening police disruption of sexual exploitation. Further details on each of these commitments will be announced in due course.
The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through operational activity aimed at tackling modern slavery threats, and targeting prolific perpetrators.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council have developed a new framework for investigating modern slavery and includes a suite of products to guide forces to identify and tackle sexual exploitation. The framework provides a nationally consistent investigative framework to sustain progress and support forces in delivering a strong, evidence-based response to modern slavery, including sexual exploitation. This will further equip officers with practical tools for navigating modern slavery crimes and fill critical gaps in frontline knowledge to drive performance and support greater accountability.
We will work closely with the new National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Modern Slavery and police forces across England and Wales to support a strong, coordinated approach to ensuring that modern slavery is effectively identified, disrupted, and tackled.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is responsible for licensing arrangements for local authorities, and it would be for the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to determine whether those powers are adequate. We will continue to work closely across government to ensure there is a coordinated response to modern slavery and human trafficking.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on devolving additional powers to local authorities to regulate massage parlours.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime, including where exploitation has taken place under the guise of legitimate businesses, such as massage parlours. We are determined to safeguard victims and to bring the ruthless perpetrators of this crime to justice.
In December 2025, the Government committed within the “Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls”, to address many aspects of prostitution and sexual exploitation within England and Wales. Commitments include reviewing legislation, raising awareness among frontline agencies of what constitutes adult sexual exploitation, and strengthening police disruption of sexual exploitation. Further details on each of these commitments will be announced in due course.
The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through operational activity aimed at tackling modern slavery threats, and targeting prolific perpetrators.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council have developed a new framework for investigating modern slavery and includes a suite of products to guide forces to identify and tackle sexual exploitation. The framework provides a nationally consistent investigative framework to sustain progress and support forces in delivering a strong, evidence-based response to modern slavery, including sexual exploitation. This will further equip officers with practical tools for navigating modern slavery crimes and fill critical gaps in frontline knowledge to drive performance and support greater accountability.
We will work closely with the new National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Modern Slavery and police forces across England and Wales to support a strong, coordinated approach to ensuring that modern slavery is effectively identified, disrupted, and tackled.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is responsible for licensing arrangements for local authorities, and it would be for the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to determine whether those powers are adequate. We will continue to work closely across government to ensure there is a coordinated response to modern slavery and human trafficking.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department provides to police forces and local authorities on partnership working to identify and safeguard people being exploited in massage parlours.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime, including where exploitation has taken place under the guise of legitimate businesses, such as massage parlours. We are determined to safeguard victims and to bring the ruthless perpetrators of this crime to justice.
In December 2025, the Government committed within the “Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls”, to address many aspects of prostitution and sexual exploitation within England and Wales. Commitments include reviewing legislation, raising awareness among frontline agencies of what constitutes adult sexual exploitation, and strengthening police disruption of sexual exploitation. Further details on each of these commitments will be announced in due course.
The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through operational activity aimed at tackling modern slavery threats, and targeting prolific perpetrators.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council have developed a new framework for investigating modern slavery and includes a suite of products to guide forces to identify and tackle sexual exploitation. The framework provides a nationally consistent investigative framework to sustain progress and support forces in delivering a strong, evidence-based response to modern slavery, including sexual exploitation. This will further equip officers with practical tools for navigating modern slavery crimes and fill critical gaps in frontline knowledge to drive performance and support greater accountability.
We will work closely with the new National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Modern Slavery and police forces across England and Wales to support a strong, coordinated approach to ensuring that modern slavery is effectively identified, disrupted, and tackled.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is responsible for licensing arrangements for local authorities, and it would be for the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to determine whether those powers are adequate. We will continue to work closely across government to ensure there is a coordinated response to modern slavery and human trafficking.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of existing legislation governing massage parlours in preventing modern slavery, human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime, including where exploitation has taken place under the guise of legitimate businesses, such as massage parlours. We are determined to safeguard victims and to bring the ruthless perpetrators of this crime to justice.
In December 2025, the Government committed within the “Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls”, to address many aspects of prostitution and sexual exploitation within England and Wales. Commitments include reviewing legislation, raising awareness among frontline agencies of what constitutes adult sexual exploitation, and strengthening police disruption of sexual exploitation. Further details on each of these commitments will be announced in due course.
The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through operational activity aimed at tackling modern slavery threats, and targeting prolific perpetrators.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council have developed a new framework for investigating modern slavery and includes a suite of products to guide forces to identify and tackle sexual exploitation. The framework provides a nationally consistent investigative framework to sustain progress and support forces in delivering a strong, evidence-based response to modern slavery, including sexual exploitation. This will further equip officers with practical tools for navigating modern slavery crimes and fill critical gaps in frontline knowledge to drive performance and support greater accountability.
We will work closely with the new National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Modern Slavery and police forces across England and Wales to support a strong, coordinated approach to ensuring that modern slavery is effectively identified, disrupted, and tackled.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is responsible for licensing arrangements for local authorities, and it would be for the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to determine whether those powers are adequate. We will continue to work closely across government to ensure there is a coordinated response to modern slavery and human trafficking.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to review the powers available to local authorities to regulate and inspect massage parlours.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime, including where exploitation has taken place under the guise of legitimate businesses, such as massage parlours. We are determined to safeguard victims and to bring the ruthless perpetrators of this crime to justice.
In December 2025, the Government committed within the “Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls”, to address many aspects of prostitution and sexual exploitation within England and Wales. Commitments include reviewing legislation, raising awareness among frontline agencies of what constitutes adult sexual exploitation, and strengthening police disruption of sexual exploitation. Further details on each of these commitments will be announced in due course.
The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through operational activity aimed at tackling modern slavery threats, and targeting prolific perpetrators.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council have developed a new framework for investigating modern slavery and includes a suite of products to guide forces to identify and tackle sexual exploitation. The framework provides a nationally consistent investigative framework to sustain progress and support forces in delivering a strong, evidence-based response to modern slavery, including sexual exploitation. This will further equip officers with practical tools for navigating modern slavery crimes and fill critical gaps in frontline knowledge to drive performance and support greater accountability.
We will work closely with the new National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Modern Slavery and police forces across England and Wales to support a strong, coordinated approach to ensuring that modern slavery is effectively identified, disrupted, and tackled.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is responsible for licensing arrangements for local authorities, and it would be for the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to determine whether those powers are adequate. We will continue to work closely across government to ensure there is a coordinated response to modern slavery and human trafficking.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department has issued on which NHS organisation or commissioned provider is responsible for arranging and funding an electrocardiogram where this is required before a patient can begin medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism, led by Professor Peter Fonagy, was published on 9 October, providing analysis and recommendations across a wide range of issues relating to the current provision of services in this area.
The Government issued an initial response on the day of publication, available at the link below, but we will set out the full action we are taking in response to the review recommendations in our new Mental Health Strategy to be published later this year, which will be relevant to the issues raised by the Hon Member. The Government remains fully committed to developing and publishing a revised cross-Government autism strategy in line with the Autism Act 2009. We will engage on the development of the revised autism strategy, including on whether the scope of the autism strategy should be extended to cover ADHD.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-pledges-earlier-support-to-tackle-mental-health-crises
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to help support patients diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to begin medication through their GP practice or specialist provider arranging the required pre-treatment physical health checks.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism, led by Professor Peter Fonagy, was published on 9 October, providing analysis and recommendations across a wide range of issues relating to the current provision of services in this area.
The Government issued an initial response on the day of publication, available at the link below, but we will set out the full action we are taking in response to the review recommendations in our new Mental Health Strategy to be published later this year, which will be relevant to the issues raised by the Hon Member. The Government remains fully committed to developing and publishing a revised cross-Government autism strategy in line with the Autism Act 2009. We will engage on the development of the revised autism strategy, including on whether the scope of the autism strategy should be extended to cover ADHD.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-pledges-earlier-support-to-tackle-mental-health-crises
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that NHS-funded providers of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder services follow NICE guideline NG87 on the circumstances in which an electrocardiogram is required before starting medication.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism, led by Professor Peter Fonagy, was published on 9 October, providing analysis and recommendations across a wide range of issues relating to the current provision of services in this area.
The Government issued an initial response on the day of publication, available at the link below, but we will set out the full action we are taking in response to the review recommendations in our new Mental Health Strategy to be published later this year, which will be relevant to the issues raised by the Hon Member. The Government remains fully committed to developing and publishing a revised cross-Government autism strategy in line with the Autism Act 2009. We will engage on the development of the revised autism strategy, including on whether the scope of the autism strategy should be extended to cover ADHD.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-pledges-earlier-support-to-tackle-mental-health-crises