Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they provide the independent anti-slavery commissioner with regular information on new arrivals in the UK who may be victims of trafficking, whether or not they register with the National Referral Mechanism; and what guidance they provide on the need to offer care and protection to victims of trafficking while they have temporary leave to remain.

The Government recognises the importance of sharing data with the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and will do so where appropriate, including on the number of modern slavery victims coming to the UK.

Safeguarding modern slavery victims is a top priority for this Government. We provide guidance available to all frontline staff to help them identify and support potential victims of modern slavery. This guidance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/509326/victims-of-modern-slavery-frontline-staff-guidance-v3.pdf.

We also provide guidance to the staff of the Single Competent Authority (SCA), where all decisions are made on whether someone is a victim of modern slavery, to ensure victims are correctly identified and receive appropriate care and protection. This guidance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/797903/victims-modern-slavery-competent-auth-v7.0-ext.pdf.

The Government is also working to publish statutory guidance to further improve the identification and support for victims.

In addition, we are currently conducting a review of the training received by First Responders, to ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities, and that they can effectively connect victims to the support they need.