Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Safe Car Wash App by the Clewer Initiative; and how many instances of modern slavery have been linked to car washes in the last 10 years.

The Government is fully committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery, including when it manifests in car washes to ensure those who commit these crimes are brought to justice.

We welcome all initiatives that support the Government’s efforts to tackle labour exploitation, such as the ‘Safe Car Wash App’ by the Clewer Initiative.

The law enforcement community have been working directly with the Clewer Initiative to utilise the data from their application, which helps to identify car wash locations of concern and assists in understanding the number of such businesses.

Users of the app are advised to report potential offences to the Modern Slavery Helpline. The helpline will forward appropriate referrals to the police or Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority to assist the identification of potential victims and perpetrators of modern slavery.

The Government does not hold a breakdown of Modern Slavery cases linked to car washes. Published police recorded crime data can be found here: Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)