Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support her Department provides to help victims of sexual exploitation in Washington and Gateshead South constituency exit prostitution.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has committed to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and will use every lever available to deliver this.
We must ensure law enforcement relentlessly pursue perpetrators and that victims are supported to recover from this horrendous abuse. The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through operational intensifications to target prolific perpetrators.
We have several ways to estimate the scale of sexual exploitation. Victims of sexual exploitation make up a significant proportion of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM, the framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery to appropriate support). The most recent statistics show that in 2023, sexual exploitation accounted for 10% (1,679) of all referrals, a 2% increase from the previous year, with 9% (1,470) of referrals relating to women. The Home Office does not hold data specific to Washington and Gateshead South. However, from January to June 2024, 6 potential victims of modern slavery referred to the NRM who reported (either part or wholly) sexual exploitation disclosed that their exploitation occurred in Tyne and Wear.
Online platforms are a significant enabler of sexual exploitation. The Online Safety Act 2023 sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences, and companies will need to adopt measures and put in place systems and processes to identify, assess and address these offences based on a risk assessment.
To help support victims, we are providing £1.36m over three years to Changing Lives for their Net-Reach project, which provides early intervention and targeted support for women and girls at high-risk of commercial exploitation. We are also providing £378,811 to Trevi Women who provide trauma-informed support to women wishing to exit on-street prostitution.
In addition, the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract provides support to adult potential and confirmed victims of modern slavery in England and Wales. This includes financial support and a support worker to help them access wider services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice.
Home Office Ministers regularly meet with stakeholders, including NGOs and law enforcement partners, to promote the better identification and prosecution of perpetrators, and to enhance support for victims who are trapped within commercial sexual exploitation.
Asked by: Laura Kyrke-Smith (Labour - Aylesbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle violence against women and girls in the asylum system.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The health and safety of asylum seekers is of paramount importance to the Home Office. We are committed to delivering an asylum process that is gender sensitive – building on the wider Government strategy to tackle violence against women and girls.
All decision-makers receive mandatory training on considering asylum claims and must follow published Home Office policy guidance, including specific guidance on gender issues, which covers specific forms of gender-based persecution.
The Home Office works closely with partners on a range of initiatives, including those which are reflected in our gender asylum policy guidance, for example providing information about safeguarding and signposting to support services and provision of gender specific interviewers and interpreters. You can find this guidance here: Gender issues in asylum claims: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Our providers maintain high standards and follow established standard procedures to manage the safety, security and wellbeing of those we accommodate.
The Home Office has published the Asylum Support Contracts Safeguarding Framework at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-support-contracts-safeguarding-framework(opens in a new tab).
This framework sets out a joint, overarching approach, as well as the key controls and reporting mechanisms in place, across the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts, for safeguarding arrangements.
A 24/7 helpline provided by Migrant Help is available to raise any concerns.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the number of police misconduct investigations held in England in the last 12 months.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of police complaints, conduct matters and misconduct proceedings (including cases and allegations) on an annual basis in the ‘Police misconduct, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-misconduct-statistics.
The latest information covers cases finalised in year ending 31 March 2023.
This statistical release is also accompanied by open data tables which include information on misconduct proceedings:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-misconduct-open-data-tables
Data for the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 is due for publication in late 2024 to early 2025.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent crime.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government has put crime prevention front and centre of our safer streets mission, which aims to halve violence against women and girls, halve knife crime, and restore confidence in the policing and justice system over the next decade.
In addition, the 2024-25 police funding settlement will provide up to £18.5 billion of funding for the policing system, supporting the police to undertake crime prevention.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent organised crime groups advertising victims of trafficking and other sexual exploitation offences on websites advertising prostitution in Washington and Gateshead South constituency.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has committed to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and will use every lever available to deliver this.
We must ensure law enforcement relentlessly pursue perpetrators and that victims are supported to recover from this horrendous abuse. The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through operational intensifications to target prolific perpetrators.
We have several ways to estimate the scale of sexual exploitation. Victims of sexual exploitation make up a significant proportion of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM, the framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery to appropriate support). The most recent statistics show that in 2023, sexual exploitation accounted for 10% (1,679) of all referrals, a 2% increase from the previous year, with 9% (1,470) of referrals relating to women. The Home Office does not hold data specific to Washington and Gateshead South. However, from January to June 2024, 6 potential victims of modern slavery referred to the NRM who reported (either part or wholly) sexual exploitation disclosed that their exploitation occurred in Tyne and Wear.
Online platforms are a significant enabler of sexual exploitation. The Online Safety Act 2023 sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences, and companies will need to adopt measures and put in place systems and processes to identify, assess and address these offences based on a risk assessment.
To help support victims, we are providing £1.36m over three years to Changing Lives for their Net-Reach project, which provides early intervention and targeted support for women and girls at high-risk of commercial exploitation. We are also providing £378,811 to Trevi Women who provide trauma-informed support to women wishing to exit on-street prostitution.
In addition, the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract provides support to adult potential and confirmed victims of modern slavery in England and Wales. This includes financial support and a support worker to help them access wider services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice.
Home Office Ministers regularly meet with stakeholders, including NGOs and law enforcement partners, to promote the better identification and prosecution of perpetrators, and to enhance support for victims who are trapped within commercial sexual exploitation.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure the adequacy of police response times.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Chief Constables are responsible for determining the allocation of resources for operational policing and managing their response times, in line with the priorities set out by their Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) regularly inspect forces’ response to the public as a part of their Police Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy (PEEL) inspections. As a part of this, they examine whether forces provide an appropriate response to incidents.
As highlighted in their ‘Getting a Grip’ report on police performance, HMICFRS found wide-ranging issues with the recording of data on attendance times at incidents. The NPCC are exploring options for a standardised measurement of police response in light of recommendations in HMICFRS's ‘Getting a Grip’ report, and the Home Office are supporting them with this work.
The Home Secretary has been clear that she wants the Home Office to play a greater role in setting performance measures and monitoring and driving system performance in the police. Plans will be set out for this in due course.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on reducing the use of hotels as contingency asylum accommodation.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly. This includes our accommodation sites, as the Home Office continues to identify a range of options to minimise the use of hotels and ensure better use of public money, whilst maintaining sufficient accommodation to meet demand.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) specific needs of British national victims of modern slavery, (b) adequacy of pathways to access support and (c) potential barriers to accessing support.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery, prosecuting those responsible and supporting victims in their recovery.
The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the UK’s framework for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery and human trafficking. 17,004 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the Home Office in 2023; the highest annual number since the NRM began in 2009 and a 628% increase since 2014.
This unprecedented increase in the volume of referrals into the NRM has presented significant challenges in resourcing and workflow, and we recognise that wait times for Conclusive Grounds decisions are too long. Operational teams have invested heavily in seeking to address this and as a result numbers of people awaiting a Conclusive Grounds decision have dropped for the first time and timeliness is improving. We continue to strive for faster decisions for victims.
In England and Wales, after referral to the National Referral Mechanism, adult victims can access specialist support from the government funded Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC). This support includes safe accommodation where necessary, financial support and a support worker to help them access wider support services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice. This support is available to all adult victims, including British nationals, based on an ongoing needs-based assessment.
Local authorities are the primary service provider for safeguarding child victims regardless of their nationality or immigration status. Additionally, the Government has rolled out Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTGs) in two-thirds of Local Authorities in England and Wales. ICTGs provide an additional source of advice and support for potentially trafficked children, irrespective of nationality or immigration status. An ICTG’s advocacy and involvement throughout the decision-making process is intended to ensure the child is protected from further harm, prevent possible repeat victimisation, re-trafficking or going missing, and promote the child’s recovery.
The Government has robust internal assurance processes in place to manage and assure projects and programmes. We are currently looking at how we ensure the long-term sustainability of these programmes to continue to meet the needs of both adult and child victims of modern slavery.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to enhance the ability of the National Referral Mechanism to ensure quicker and more effective assistance for modern slavery victims.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery, prosecuting those responsible and supporting victims in their recovery.
The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the UK’s framework for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery and human trafficking. 17,004 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the Home Office in 2023; the highest annual number since the NRM began in 2009 and a 628% increase since 2014.
This unprecedented increase in the volume of referrals into the NRM has presented significant challenges in resourcing and workflow, and we recognise that wait times for Conclusive Grounds decisions are too long. Operational teams have invested heavily in seeking to address this and as a result numbers of people awaiting a Conclusive Grounds decision have dropped for the first time and timeliness is improving. We continue to strive for faster decisions for victims.
In England and Wales, after referral to the National Referral Mechanism, adult victims can access specialist support from the government funded Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC). This support includes safe accommodation where necessary, financial support and a support worker to help them access wider support services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice. This support is available to all adult victims, including British nationals, based on an ongoing needs-based assessment.
Local authorities are the primary service provider for safeguarding child victims regardless of their nationality or immigration status. Additionally, the Government has rolled out Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTGs) in two-thirds of Local Authorities in England and Wales. ICTGs provide an additional source of advice and support for potentially trafficked children, irrespective of nationality or immigration status. An ICTG’s advocacy and involvement throughout the decision-making process is intended to ensure the child is protected from further harm, prevent possible repeat victimisation, re-trafficking or going missing, and promote the child’s recovery.
The Government has robust internal assurance processes in place to manage and assure projects and programmes. We are currently looking at how we ensure the long-term sustainability of these programmes to continue to meet the needs of both adult and child victims of modern slavery.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support victims of modern slavery.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery, prosecuting those responsible and supporting victims in their recovery.
The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the UK’s framework for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery and human trafficking. 17,004 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the Home Office in 2023; the highest annual number since the NRM began in 2009 and a 628% increase since 2014.
This unprecedented increase in the volume of referrals into the NRM has presented significant challenges in resourcing and workflow, and we recognise that wait times for Conclusive Grounds decisions are too long. Operational teams have invested heavily in seeking to address this and as a result numbers of people awaiting a Conclusive Grounds decision have dropped for the first time and timeliness is improving. We continue to strive for faster decisions for victims.
In England and Wales, after referral to the National Referral Mechanism, adult victims can access specialist support from the government funded Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC). This support includes safe accommodation where necessary, financial support and a support worker to help them access wider support services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice. This support is available to all adult victims, including British nationals, based on an ongoing needs-based assessment.
Local authorities are the primary service provider for safeguarding child victims regardless of their nationality or immigration status. Additionally, the Government has rolled out Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTGs) in two-thirds of Local Authorities in England and Wales. ICTGs provide an additional source of advice and support for potentially trafficked children, irrespective of nationality or immigration status. An ICTG’s advocacy and involvement throughout the decision-making process is intended to ensure the child is protected from further harm, prevent possible repeat victimisation, re-trafficking or going missing, and promote the child’s recovery.
The Government has robust internal assurance processes in place to manage and assure projects and programmes. We are currently looking at how we ensure the long-term sustainability of these programmes to continue to meet the needs of both adult and child victims of modern slavery.