Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) brothels, (2) nail bars, (3) car washes, and (4) cannabis farms, closed following (a) arrests, and (b) convictions, arising from modern slavery in 2020; and how many convictions have been obtained since then.

The Home Office does not hold case-specific data, such as business closures, for modern slavery offences. Criminal justice statistics, including outcomes for modern slavery offences, are published quarterly by the Ministry of Justice and are available on Gov.uk.

The Government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and bringing the individuals responsible to justice. Since its introduction, the Modern Slavery Act 2015 has given law enforcement agencies the tools and powers to tackle modern slavery, including a maximum life sentence for perpetrators. The Government has also provided over £15 million to policing since 2016. This investment has resulted in an increase in live police operations, from 188 in December 2016 to 4,114 in December 2021, and led to an increase in the number of prosecutions brought and convictions secured.

The Government recognises that the UK cannot tackle this crime alone. The UK continues to demonstrate international leadership, driving action towards the long-term ambition of eradicating modern slavery. We work with a range of partners to engage with countries from which the UK receives the highest numbers of victims. The UK’s international efforts to fight slavery are supported by a range of overseas programmes, as well as the Home Office’s £33.5m Modern Slavery Fund which since 2016 has included projects that test innovative approaches to build the evidence base on what works.

Preventing vulnerable people being drawn into slavery is one of the most effective ways of tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery. The UK Government is committed to preventing modern slavery and works with a range of partners to deliver effective prevention activity both in the UK and upstream. In October 2021, the Home Office launched the Modern Slavery Prevention Fund, to fund organisations to deliver targeted prevention interventions and build up the evidence base on what interventions are most effective.

The Government recognises there is yet more we can do to tackle this crime and bring offenders to justice. The Government is currently reviewing its Modern Slavery Strategy and will build on our learning and progress over the past eight years to strengthen our approach.