Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish the Government policy on assistance available to repatriate British nationals who have been the victims of forced marriages; on what date it was decided that those people should enter into emergency loan agreements if they do not have the resources to fund travel themselves; and if he will change the policy to ensure that victims of forced marriage are exempt from reliance on emergency loan agreements.

The UK is a world-leader in the fight to tackle out the brutal practice of forced marriage, with our joint Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) which leads efforts to combat it both at home and abroad. After careful consideration, the Foreign Secretary has decided that victims of forced marriage who are helped to return to the UK by the FMU will no longer be asked to take out a loan for their repatriation costs.

From now on, none of those who are assisted by the FMU - and would previously have been offered a loan - will have to cover the costs of their repatriation. Where possible, the Government will continue to seek to ensure the costs fall on the perpetrators by means of Forced Marriage Protection Orders.

The Government has also agreed to ensure that those victims who have outstanding loans will have no further cost fall to them. Their passports will also be unblocked.

The FMU provides support and advice for victims, those at risk, and professionals, through its public helpline. The support offered ranges from providing information and guidance to organising rescue and repatriation to the UK for victims overseas.

Between 2012-2017, the FMU supported almost 1,500 victims of forced marriage who were overseas, of whom 52 took loans. There were nine cases where surcharges were added. The total value of the surcharges was £588.26.