Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will set out the ten local authority areas that recorded the highest number of National Referral Mechanism referrals relating to sexual exploitation in each of the last three calendar years.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Modern slavery is a vicious crime that dehumanises people for profit. The Government is committed to tackling it in all its forms and to giving survivors the support and certainty they need to recover.
The Government is continually looking to improve the quality and provision of modern slavery statistics. The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual National Referral Mechanism (NRM) statistics. All relevant information can be obtained from the published statistical releases, available here: National Referral Mechanism statistics - GOV.UK. Further disaggregated data is published via the UK Data Service and can be accessed here UK Data Service.
The Home Office does not collect data on police investigations following an NRM referral or disaggregated data on arrests or convictions for human trafficking or sexual exploitation alongside an individual’s nationality or immigration status.
Whatever form it takes, exploitation, human trafficking, and modern slavery is abuse, and relevant child protection procedures must be followed if there is any suspicion a child may be at risk.
Child victims do not need to provide consent to enter the NRM. If a statutory First Responder Organisation encounters a child they suspect to be a victim, they must refer them into the NRM in line with their statutory duties and to the relevant local authority in line with child protection procedures. All NRM referrals are additionally referred to the police.
The UK is committed to working with international partners to prevent exploitation both domestically and abroad. We continue to fund programmes in priority countries to directly combat modern slavery in the UK and work closely with international partners to ensure we meet our international obligations to support victims.
As the Home Secretary has previously said, we advise that any evidence of trafficking of girls overseas is brought to the attention of the police.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were referred into the National Referral Mechanism broken down by age, sex, and primary exploitation type for the latest quarter for which data is available.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Modern slavery is a vicious crime that dehumanises people for profit. The Government is committed to tackling it in all its forms and to giving survivors the support and certainty they need to recover.
The Government is continually looking to improve the quality and provision of modern slavery statistics. The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual National Referral Mechanism (NRM) statistics. All relevant information can be obtained from the published statistical releases, available here: National Referral Mechanism statistics - GOV.UK. Further disaggregated data is published via the UK Data Service and can be accessed here UK Data Service.
The Home Office does not collect data on police investigations following an NRM referral or disaggregated data on arrests or convictions for human trafficking or sexual exploitation alongside an individual’s nationality or immigration status.
Whatever form it takes, exploitation, human trafficking, and modern slavery is abuse, and relevant child protection procedures must be followed if there is any suspicion a child may be at risk.
Child victims do not need to provide consent to enter the NRM. If a statutory First Responder Organisation encounters a child they suspect to be a victim, they must refer them into the NRM in line with their statutory duties and to the relevant local authority in line with child protection procedures. All NRM referrals are additionally referred to the police.
The UK is committed to working with international partners to prevent exploitation both domestically and abroad. We continue to fund programmes in priority countries to directly combat modern slavery in the UK and work closely with international partners to ensure we meet our international obligations to support victims.
As the Home Secretary has previously said, we advise that any evidence of trafficking of girls overseas is brought to the attention of the police.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police investigations were initiated following National Referral Mechanism referrals relating to sexual exploitation in each of the last three calendar years.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Modern slavery is a vicious crime that dehumanises people for profit. The Government is committed to tackling it in all its forms and to giving survivors the support and certainty they need to recover.
The Government is continually looking to improve the quality and provision of modern slavery statistics. The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual National Referral Mechanism (NRM) statistics. All relevant information can be obtained from the published statistical releases, available here: National Referral Mechanism statistics - GOV.UK. Further disaggregated data is published via the UK Data Service and can be accessed here UK Data Service.
The Home Office does not collect data on police investigations following an NRM referral or disaggregated data on arrests or convictions for human trafficking or sexual exploitation alongside an individual’s nationality or immigration status.
Whatever form it takes, exploitation, human trafficking, and modern slavery is abuse, and relevant child protection procedures must be followed if there is any suspicion a child may be at risk.
Child victims do not need to provide consent to enter the NRM. If a statutory First Responder Organisation encounters a child they suspect to be a victim, they must refer them into the NRM in line with their statutory duties and to the relevant local authority in line with child protection procedures. All NRM referrals are additionally referred to the police.
The UK is committed to working with international partners to prevent exploitation both domestically and abroad. We continue to fund programmes in priority countries to directly combat modern slavery in the UK and work closely with international partners to ensure we meet our international obligations to support victims.
As the Home Secretary has previously said, we advise that any evidence of trafficking of girls overseas is brought to the attention of the police.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people under 18 were referred to the National Referral Mechanism for sexual exploitation in each of the last three calendar years.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Modern slavery is a vicious crime that dehumanises people for profit. The Government is committed to tackling it in all its forms and to giving survivors the support and certainty they need to recover.
The Government is continually looking to improve the quality and provision of modern slavery statistics. The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual National Referral Mechanism (NRM) statistics. All relevant information can be obtained from the published statistical releases, available here: National Referral Mechanism statistics - GOV.UK. Further disaggregated data is published via the UK Data Service and can be accessed here UK Data Service.
The Home Office does not collect data on police investigations following an NRM referral or disaggregated data on arrests or convictions for human trafficking or sexual exploitation alongside an individual’s nationality or immigration status.
Whatever form it takes, exploitation, human trafficking, and modern slavery is abuse, and relevant child protection procedures must be followed if there is any suspicion a child may be at risk.
Child victims do not need to provide consent to enter the NRM. If a statutory First Responder Organisation encounters a child they suspect to be a victim, they must refer them into the NRM in line with their statutory duties and to the relevant local authority in line with child protection procedures. All NRM referrals are additionally referred to the police.
The UK is committed to working with international partners to prevent exploitation both domestically and abroad. We continue to fund programmes in priority countries to directly combat modern slavery in the UK and work closely with international partners to ensure we meet our international obligations to support victims.
As the Home Secretary has previously said, we advise that any evidence of trafficking of girls overseas is brought to the attention of the police.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, how many prosecutions for human trafficking or sexual exploitation offences in each of the last three calendar years involved two or more defendants charged as part of the same case.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds management information which shows the number of prosecuted defendants flagged with the modern slavery (human trafficking) monitoring flag where 2 or more defendants have been prosecuted on the same case. The data is derived using a manual process as the CPS Case Management Information System does not report this information. As with any manual exercise, the data may be subject to errors in processing and the information is for operational use only.
The table below shows the flagged prosecution data (where 2 or more defendants have been prosecuted on the same cases) for the last three calendar years ending 31st December 2024.
Prosecuted defendants flagged with the modern slavery monitoring flag | |||
2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
Modern slavery flagged defendants with a completed prosecution outcome on cases with 2 or more defendants | 281 | 263 | 314 |
Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System | |||
The CPS define modern slavery as the following – for offences committed prior to 31st July 2015 ss57-59A Sexual Offences Act 2003, s4 Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004, s71 Coroners and Justice 2009 and for offences committed after the Modern Slavery Act 2015 came into force on the 31st July 2015, s1, 2 and 4 of the Act. Included in the definition are the inchoate versions of the listed offences.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of people who are victims of human trafficking.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office does not have an up-to-date estimate of the number of victims of human trafficking. Understanding the true scale of modern slavery is difficult due to a few factors, including the hidden nature of the crime.
We understand from recent estimates by NGOs that well over 100,000 individuals in the UK may be affected by this crime.
Data on the number of identified potential victims of modern slavery in the UK, as indicated through National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referrals, are published every quarter. In total, 19,125 potential victims of modern slavery were referred in 2024 (with latest 2025 annual figures to be published later this month). We continually look to improve the quality and provision of these statistics. The NRM statistics publications can be found here: National Referral Mechanism statistics - GOV.UK.
The Government remains firmly committed to ensuring that all victims of human trafficking and modern slavery are effectively identified and supported to rebuild their lives, while taking action to bring those who exploit vulnerable people to justice.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to abolish laws which criminalise brothel keeping.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Criminal justice is devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Home Office is responsible for legislation in England and Wales. Under the current law in England and Wales, the acts of buying and selling sex are not in themselves illegal. There are existing offences related to sexual exploitation in the Sexual Offences Act 2003 including causing or inciting prostitution for gain, controlling prostitution for gain, and paying for the services of a prostitute subjected to force, threats or any other form of coercion or deception.
On 18 December 2025, the Government published Freedom from violence and abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-from-violence-and-abuse-a-cross-government-strategy. In this strategy, the Government committed to reviewing how the law addresses prostitution (this includes brothel keeping legislation) to ensure it better protects women and girls. Further details will be set out in due course. The Home Office engages regularly with organisations that represent sex workers, sexually exploited adults, people trafficked for sex, the police and other relevant stakeholders.
For example, on 16 July 2025, the Home Office launched a public call for evidence on how the Government can improve the process of identifying victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, including for victims of sexual exploitation. This call for evidence provided an opportunity to hear views of survivors, first responders, law enforcement and prosecution services, devolved administrations, non-governmental organisations and any groups or people with an interest in the modern slavery victim identification system. The call for evidence closed on 8 October 2025 and a report summarising the key findings and themes will be published early this year.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will take steps to decriminalise sex work throughout the UK.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Criminal justice is devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Home Office is responsible for legislation in England and Wales. Under the current law in England and Wales, the acts of buying and selling sex are not in themselves illegal. There are existing offences related to sexual exploitation in the Sexual Offences Act 2003 including causing or inciting prostitution for gain, controlling prostitution for gain, and paying for the services of a prostitute subjected to force, threats or any other form of coercion or deception.
On 18 December 2025, the Government published Freedom from violence and abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-from-violence-and-abuse-a-cross-government-strategy. In this strategy, the Government committed to reviewing how the law addresses prostitution (this includes brothel keeping legislation) to ensure it better protects women and girls. Further details will be set out in due course. The Home Office engages regularly with organisations that represent sex workers, sexually exploited adults, people trafficked for sex, the police and other relevant stakeholders.
For example, on 16 July 2025, the Home Office launched a public call for evidence on how the Government can improve the process of identifying victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, including for victims of sexual exploitation. This call for evidence provided an opportunity to hear views of survivors, first responders, law enforcement and prosecution services, devolved administrations, non-governmental organisations and any groups or people with an interest in the modern slavery victim identification system. The call for evidence closed on 8 October 2025 and a report summarising the key findings and themes will be published early this year.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has held recent discussions with (a) sex workers and (b) representative organisations on the law on prostitution.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Criminal justice is devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Home Office is responsible for legislation in England and Wales. Under the current law in England and Wales, the acts of buying and selling sex are not in themselves illegal. There are existing offences related to sexual exploitation in the Sexual Offences Act 2003 including causing or inciting prostitution for gain, controlling prostitution for gain, and paying for the services of a prostitute subjected to force, threats or any other form of coercion or deception.
On 18 December 2025, the Government published Freedom from violence and abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-from-violence-and-abuse-a-cross-government-strategy. In this strategy, the Government committed to reviewing how the law addresses prostitution (this includes brothel keeping legislation) to ensure it better protects women and girls. Further details will be set out in due course. The Home Office engages regularly with organisations that represent sex workers, sexually exploited adults, people trafficked for sex, the police and other relevant stakeholders.
For example, on 16 July 2025, the Home Office launched a public call for evidence on how the Government can improve the process of identifying victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, including for victims of sexual exploitation. This call for evidence provided an opportunity to hear views of survivors, first responders, law enforcement and prosecution services, devolved administrations, non-governmental organisations and any groups or people with an interest in the modern slavery victim identification system. The call for evidence closed on 8 October 2025 and a report summarising the key findings and themes will be published early this year.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulations for a) the health and welfare of surrogate mothers and children born through surrogacy and b) ethical concerns associated with cross-border surrogacy arrangements.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon member to the answer provided to question HL6361 on 31 March 2025, a copy of which is reproduced below for ease of reference:
The UK does not support international surrogacy involving any form of exploitation and is committed to eradicating all forms of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking in line with Sustainable Development Goal 8.7. Globally the UK is proud to defend and promote universal and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights. At the multilateral level, and through our diplomatic and Official Development Assistance partnerships, we advocate that all people have the right to make informed decisions about childbearing, including if, whether and when to have children. Family planning interventions, including surrogacy, must always be voluntary and rooted in a human rights-based approach.