Human Trafficking

Home Affairs Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 7 Feb 2023 Closed: 24 May 2024 Parliament page
In this inquiry, launched in February 2023, the Home Affairs Committee is assessing the scale of human trafficking in the UK and the forms it takes. It also investigates whether Government policy, legislation and the criminal justice system can be improved to prevent human trafficking, prosecute perpetrators and protect victims. … Read more
37 Recommendations
66 Conclusions
1 Report
6 Oral sessions
3 Letters
6 Events
Activity timeline 17 events
15 May
2024
Correspondence
13 Mar
2024
Correspondence
22 Feb
2024
Report published
8 Dec
2023
Report published
19 Jul
2023
Oral evidence
19 Jul
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
12 Jul
2023
Correspondence
5 Jul
2023
Oral evidence
5 Jul
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster
21 Jun
2023
Oral evidence
21 Jun
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
7 Jun
2023
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 6 sessions
19 Jul 2023
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Andrew Patrick · Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office Joanna West · Home Office Matthew Bligh · Home Office Miss Sarah Dines · Home Office Rebecca Wyse · Home Office
5 Jul 2023
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Assistant Chief Constable Jim Pearce · National Police Chiefs' Council Caroline Haughey OBE KC · Furnival Chambers Lynette Woodrow · Crown Prosecution Service Rob Jones CBE · National Crime Agency Stuart Peall · Lancashire Police
21 Jun 2023
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Allyson Davies · Barnard's National Counter Trafficking Service Danny Bayraktarova · Wilson Solicitors LLP Elaine Bass · Home Office James Fookes · Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group (ATMG) Laura Durán · ECPAT UK Major Kathy Betteridge · Salvation Army Siobhan Jolliffe · Home Office
7 Jun 2023
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Dr. Ben Brewster · Rights Lab, University of Nottingham Neelam Patankar · Digital Ventures Professor Teela Sanders · University of Leicester Rhoda Grant · Scottish Parliament
10 May 2023
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Elysia McCaffrey · Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) Kate Roberts · Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX) Ruth Breslin · The Sexual Exploitation Research Programme (SERP) Sylvia Walby · Royal Holloway, University of London Tatiana Gren-Jardan · Joint Modern Slavery Policy Unit Justice and Care and Centre for Social Justice
19 Apr 2023
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Professor Dame Sara Thornton · The Rights Lab, University of Nottingham The Rt Hon. the Baroness Butler-Sloss GBE
Title HC No. Published Items Response
First Report - Human trafficking HC 124 8 Dec 2023 103 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
7 results
Clear
10 Conclusion Not Addressed
First Report - Human trafficking
Unacceptable 18-month vacancy for Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner breached statutory duty.
We welcome the Home Office’s appointment of a new Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC) and look forward to inviting her to speak to us as soon as possible, to understand how she intends to prioritise the prevention of human trafficking—including tackling … Read more
Government Response
The government welcomed the appointment of a new Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner at the end of 2023 and looks forward to working with her, but did not address the committee's concern about the unacceptable delay in her appointment.
Home Office
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40 Conclusion Not Addressed
First Report - Human trafficking
Resourcing challenges hinder essential financial investigations against human traffickers.
Financial investigations are essential to tackling organised crime and traffickers, particularly for evidence-led prosecutions. However, we heard that these specialists can be hard to resource.
Government Response
The government's response focuses on its modern slavery strategy and reporting, but does not directly address the committee's conclusion regarding the essential role of financial investigations and the difficulty in resourcing specialists.
Home Office
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41 Recommendation Not Addressed
First Report - Human trafficking
Require Government to prioritise and adequately resource financial investigations within law enforcement bodies.
The Government needs to ensure that appropriate priority is placed on resourcing financial investigations within law enforcement bodies. (Paragraph 128) 76 Human trafficking
Government Response
The government acknowledges the importance of a strategy to tackle modern slavery but does not directly address the recommendation to ensure appropriate priority for resourcing financial investigations within law enforcement bodies.
Home Office
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64 Conclusion Not Addressed
First Report - Human trafficking
Address urgently the unacceptably high attrition rate of National Referral Mechanism staff.
Recruitment campaigns and the training of new National Referral Mechanism staff are welcome, and we look forward to the Home Office notifying us when the promised 200 new staff are recruited by the end of 2023. However, the attrition rate … Read more
Government Response
The government details efforts to increase NRM workforce and productivity, which acknowledges the welcome recruitment, but does not address the urgent call to reduce the unacceptably high attrition rate among staff.
Home Office
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79 Recommendation Not Addressed
First Report - Human trafficking
Increase safe accommodation provision for trafficking victims through Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract.
We recommend that the Government increases the provision of safe accommodation available through the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract for trafficking victims, including single-sex provision, while they await a National Referral Mechanism decision.
Government Response
The government did not commit to increasing safe accommodation provision, instead stating it remains committed to ensuring appropriate accommodation through existing Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC) processes and monitoring capacity on a needs-basis.
Home Office
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96 Conclusion Not Addressed
First Report - Human trafficking
Amend Modern Slavery guidance to include 'turning 18' support for transitioning child victims.
The Home Office should amend its Modern Slavery statutory guidance to include guidance on ‘turning 18’ to ensure that ageing out of the care system does not reduce holistic support for recovery and prevention of re-trafficking.
Government Response
The government outlines existing support for children through local authorities and ICTGs, which plan for transitions, but does not commit to amending the Modern Slavery statutory guidance as recommended.
Home Office
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103 Conclusion Not Addressed
First Report - Human trafficking
Require the Home Office to provide regular updates on progress in finding missing children.
The Committee has previously challenged the Home Office with our concerns that children have gone missing. The Home Office must update the Committee with its progress in finding these children by the end of this year, and we expect to … Read more
Government Response
The government's response discusses hotel closures and issues with blanket NRM referrals but does not commit to updating the Committee on the progress of finding missing children or providing regular updates as requested.
Home Office
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Government Response AI assessment · 103 of 37 classified
Accepted 17
Accepted in Part 6
Acknowledged 12
Deferred 46
Not Addressed 7
Rejected 15
Total 37 recs + 66 conclusions
Correspondence 3 letters
15 May 2024 To committee Letter from the Home Secretary, regarding the Government’s Response to the Human Trafficking report, dated 2 May 2024
Parliament page
13 Mar 2024 To committee Letter from the Chair to the Home Secretary regarding the Government’s Response to the Human Trafficking inquiry, dated 7 March 2024
Parliament page
12 Jul 2023 From committee Letter to the Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire on Adult Services Websites (ASWs), dated 5 July 2023
Parliament page