Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 43 of the 2020 UK annual report on modern slavery, if she will publish the minutes of meetings held by the covid-19 vulnerable children's hub since the beginning of the covid-19 outbreak.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Home Office’s Vulnerable Children Hub was established to ensure close collaboration both within the Department and between government departments to ensure the delivery of effective safeguarding responses for children. In addition to this forum, the PM led, cross-Government Hidden Harms Summit brought together stakeholders to share best practice on proactive policing, improving criminal justice outcomes and improving the intelligence picture on hidden crimes including Modern Slavery, Domestic Abuse and Child Sexual Abuse. A summit report was published in July, detailing clear commitments and ongoing activity to safeguard children and vulnerable adults from hidden harms.

We continue to drive forward this work through the centrally led Cabinet Office processes.

The COVID-19 Vulnerable Children’s Hub work relates to the development of ongoing Home Office policy, and as with any internal government discussions we would not publicly disclose records of its discussions.