Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to recommendation four in her Department's response to the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration's Report on modern slavery published 4 March 2021, what the proposed timescale is for providing details of key findings, clarifying roles and responsibilities and streamlining governance on organised immigration crime; and when details of the new streamlined governance will be published.

The 4 March 2021 ICIBI report on modern slavery and human trafficking refers, in a Note to Section 4.1, to Recommendation 1 of the March 2020 ICIBI report on in-country clandestine arrivals and irregular migrants arriving via "small boats”. This recommendation proposed a “fundamental review of the Borders, Immigration and Citizenship System’s criminal investigation and prosecution capabilities and capacity”.

The Government response, published in November 2020, partially accepted the recommendation, and undertook to take the findings of the March 2020 ICIBI inspection fully into account alongside the findings of the Independent Review of Serious and Organised Crime (IRSOC), led by Sir Craig Mackey QPM, when working with partners, including the National Crime Agency.

Significant changes in the governance and delivery of organised immigration crime have already been implemented. The November 2020 Government response noted both the Illegal Migration Strategy Board and the Clandestine Threat Board have been established since the ICIBI March 2020 report was issued, with the Clandestine Channel Threat Command now in place.

The Government undertaking to provide “details of key findings” relates to the IRSOC. The Government published the key findings of the IRSOC on 16th March, alongside the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy. The Integrated Review sets out our priorities for strengthening our response to serious and organised crime following the IRSOC.