Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the report by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism entitled Visa system forces care workers to stay silent on rape and abuse, published on 11 March 2024.

The Government strongly condemns any allegations of such abuse.

Anyone who has witnessed or been the victim of criminal activity should, in the first instance, contact the police.

The UK’s sponsorship system has a built-in compliance framework, which has strong safeguards to prevent sponsors from engaging in illegal employment practices.

Sponsors are required to comply with UK laws, including wider employment law (such as working hours and meeting minimum salary requirements). UKVI have powers to revoke a licence where any of the key personnel named on it are convicted of certain serious offences. UKVI regularly visits premises to check sponsor compliance with the duties and requirements set out in the sponsor guidance, and this is frequently done alongside the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, whose specific remit is to protect vulnerable and exploited workers.

Employers in the health and care sector are also expected to adhere to the Department’s Health and Social Care’s Code of Practice for international recruitment. This sets out clear routes of escalation for anyone with concerns about exploitative recruitment or employment practices. It can be accessed here:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-practice-for-the-international-recruitment-of-health-and-social-care-personnel/code-of-practice-for-the-international-recruitment-of-health-and-social-care-personnel-in-england.

Anyone who has witnessed or has been the victim of immigration abuse is strongly encouraged to report an immigration or border crime here: www.gov.uk/report-immigration-crime.

Or, to the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) here: www.gla.gov.uk/report-issues/.