Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral contribution of the then Minister of State in her Department during the Ninth sitting of the Public Bill Committee on the Victims and Prisoners Bill on 4 July 2023, Official Report column 310, and to correspondence on the timetable for implementation of the duty on public authorities to collaborate under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, published on 5 November 2024, whether (a) the guidance to be developed under this implementation process will clarify that modern slavery victims (i) can and (ii) are likely to be covered by the duty and (b) stakeholders involved in supporting victims of modern slavery will be included in the consultation process.

The duty to collaborate, as set out in sections 13-14 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, will, once in force, require local policing bodies, local authorities and integrated care boards to collaborate when commissioning services for victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse and serious violence in England.

Collaboration in relation to the commissioning of services for victims of modern slavery will be required under the duty where the crime amounts to serious violence, including the threat of violence and violence against property (see section 13(7) of the 2024 Act).

The statutory guidance on the duty issued pursuant to section 15 will make this clear and will be consulted on in early 2025, in accordance with section 15(2). The Ministry of Justice has engaged with stakeholders involved in supporting victims of modern slavery during the development of the draft guidance and will continue to do so during consultation.