Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Albanian counterpart on human trafficking; and if he will make a statement.

The British Government is committed to the eradication of all forms of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking globally by 2030, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 8.7. We work to combat modern slavery internationally and to engage governments in dialogue, including countries of origin for victims of modern slavery.

The United Kingdom has committed £2 million to a programme in Albania through the Home Office Modern Slavery Fund to prevent modern slavery and build capacity to tackle it at source. The Government also agreed a Memorandum of Understanding on intensifying cooperation in the fight against trafficking in human beings with the Albanian Government in 2014. We work closely with the Albanian Government on this issue; our Ambassador last raised it with the Albanian Interior Minister on 29 August.