Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to continue to fund the Support for Migrant Victims Scheme beyond March 2025.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We keep under constant review the support we provide to migrant victims of domestic abuse, including how we can increase their confidence to report to the police and their ability to access help from specialist agencies.
This government continues to support the Support for Migrant Victims scheme which provides vital support for migrant victims of domestic abuse, including accommodation, subsistence, counselling and legal advice. All decisions on funding for the next financial year will be made in due course as part of the Spending Review process.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support migrant victims of domestic abuse.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We keep under constant review the support we provide to migrant victims of domestic abuse, including how we can increase their confidence to report to the police and their ability to access help from specialist agencies.
This government continues to support the Support for Migrant Victims scheme which provides vital support for migrant victims of domestic abuse, including accommodation, subsistence, counselling and legal advice. All decisions on funding for the next financial year will be made in due course as part of the Spending Review process.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to make wildlife crimes notifiable.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government recognises the importance of tackling wildlife crime, which is why, along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit to help tackle these crimes.
There are currently no plans to make wildlife crimes notifiable. Any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to the police can still be investigated where appropriate, as Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral statement by the Prime Minister of 7 October 2024 on Anniversary of 7 October Attacks: Middle East, Official Report, column 38, what steps her Department is taking to support Lebanese nationals with temporary leave to remain to stay in the UK during the current conflict.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We are deeply concerned by the continuing tensions and civilian casualties in Lebanon.
I know how important it is for Lebanese nationals in the UK to have certainty on their immigration status, particularly in light of the ongoing conflict in their home country.
Lebanese nationals who are already living in the UK and have permission to stay should continue to follow their immigration conditions. For those whose permission to stay is due to expire, there are a variety of existing routes under the Immigration Rules to allow a person to extend, or vary, their permission in the UK, which are set out on gov.uk.
We are monitoring the situation in Lebanon closely and keeping all existing pathways under constant review for Lebanese nationals currently in the UK.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce demand for trafficking for sexual exploitation in Edinburgh North and Leith constituency.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has committed to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will use all of our levers to deliver this.
The criminal justice system and support for victims are devolved matters. However, given the cross-border nature of sexual exploitation, the Home Office works closely with the Scottish Government and law enforcement partners to ensure our approach to victim identification and support, and our pursuit of perpetrators is joined up.
We have several ways to estimate the scale of sexual exploitation. Victims of sexual exploitation make up a significant proportion of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (the framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery to appropriate support). The most recent statistics show that in 2023, sexual exploitation accounted for 10% (1,679) of all referrals, a 2% increase from the previous year, with 9% (1,470) of referrals relating to women. The Home Office does not hold data specific to Edinburgh North and Leith. However, between January and June 2024, there were 13 potential victims of modern slavery referred to the NRM who reported (either part or whole) sexual exploitation which was disclosed as occurring in the City of Edinburgh. We understand this will not be the full extent.
Available academic research on prostitution highlights the challenges in estimating prevalence. Research conducted by the University of Bristol focusing on England and Wales was unable to identify a single prevalence estimate. However, it assessed a number of existing national estimates made over the last 20 years which ranged from 35,882 to 104,964, across England and Wales.
Online platforms are a significant enabler of sexual exploitation. The Online Safety Act 2023 sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences, and companies will need to adopt measures and put in place systems and processes to identify, assess and address these offences based on a risk assessment.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support her Department is providing to help victims of sexual exploitation in Edinburgh North and Leith constituency exit prostitution.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has committed to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will use all of our levers to deliver this.
The criminal justice system and support for victims are devolved matters. However, given the cross-border nature of sexual exploitation, the Home Office works closely with the Scottish Government and law enforcement partners to ensure our approach to victim identification and support, and our pursuit of perpetrators is joined up.
We have several ways to estimate the scale of sexual exploitation. Victims of sexual exploitation make up a significant proportion of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (the framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery to appropriate support). The most recent statistics show that in 2023, sexual exploitation accounted for 10% (1,679) of all referrals, a 2% increase from the previous year, with 9% (1,470) of referrals relating to women. The Home Office does not hold data specific to Edinburgh North and Leith. However, between January and June 2024, there were 13 potential victims of modern slavery referred to the NRM who reported (either part or whole) sexual exploitation which was disclosed as occurring in the City of Edinburgh. We understand this will not be the full extent.
Available academic research on prostitution highlights the challenges in estimating prevalence. Research conducted by the University of Bristol focusing on England and Wales was unable to identify a single prevalence estimate. However, it assessed a number of existing national estimates made over the last 20 years which ranged from 35,882 to 104,964, across England and Wales.
Online platforms are a significant enabler of sexual exploitation. The Online Safety Act 2023 sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences, and companies will need to adopt measures and put in place systems and processes to identify, assess and address these offences based on a risk assessment.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent organised crime groups advertising victims of (a) trafficking and (b) other sexual exploitation offences on websites advertising prostitution in Edinburgh North and Leith constituency.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has committed to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will use all of our levers to deliver this.
The criminal justice system and support for victims are devolved matters. However, given the cross-border nature of sexual exploitation, the Home Office works closely with the Scottish Government and law enforcement partners to ensure our approach to victim identification and support, and our pursuit of perpetrators is joined up.
We have several ways to estimate the scale of sexual exploitation. Victims of sexual exploitation make up a significant proportion of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (the framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery to appropriate support). The most recent statistics show that in 2023, sexual exploitation accounted for 10% (1,679) of all referrals, a 2% increase from the previous year, with 9% (1,470) of referrals relating to women. The Home Office does not hold data specific to Edinburgh North and Leith. However, between January and June 2024, there were 13 potential victims of modern slavery referred to the NRM who reported (either part or whole) sexual exploitation which was disclosed as occurring in the City of Edinburgh. We understand this will not be the full extent.
Available academic research on prostitution highlights the challenges in estimating prevalence. Research conducted by the University of Bristol focusing on England and Wales was unable to identify a single prevalence estimate. However, it assessed a number of existing national estimates made over the last 20 years which ranged from 35,882 to 104,964, across England and Wales.
Online platforms are a significant enabler of sexual exploitation. The Online Safety Act 2023 sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences, and companies will need to adopt measures and put in place systems and processes to identify, assess and address these offences based on a risk assessment.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the level of commercial sexual exploitation in Edinburgh North and Leith constituency.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has committed to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will use all of our levers to deliver this.
The criminal justice system and support for victims are devolved matters. However, given the cross-border nature of sexual exploitation, the Home Office works closely with the Scottish Government and law enforcement partners to ensure our approach to victim identification and support, and our pursuit of perpetrators is joined up.
We have several ways to estimate the scale of sexual exploitation. Victims of sexual exploitation make up a significant proportion of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (the framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery to appropriate support). The most recent statistics show that in 2023, sexual exploitation accounted for 10% (1,679) of all referrals, a 2% increase from the previous year, with 9% (1,470) of referrals relating to women. The Home Office does not hold data specific to Edinburgh North and Leith. However, between January and June 2024, there were 13 potential victims of modern slavery referred to the NRM who reported (either part or whole) sexual exploitation which was disclosed as occurring in the City of Edinburgh. We understand this will not be the full extent.
Available academic research on prostitution highlights the challenges in estimating prevalence. Research conducted by the University of Bristol focusing on England and Wales was unable to identify a single prevalence estimate. However, it assessed a number of existing national estimates made over the last 20 years which ranged from 35,882 to 104,964, across England and Wales.
Online platforms are a significant enabler of sexual exploitation. The Online Safety Act 2023 sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences, and companies will need to adopt measures and put in place systems and processes to identify, assess and address these offences based on a risk assessment.