§ Vernon CoakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment the Government have made of the effectiveness of legislation prohibiting and punishing human trafficking; and if he will make a statement. [31157]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthThe Government consider that effective legislation to criminalise and punish trafficking in human beings is an important component of any strategy to tackle this crime. This must also encompass effective enforcement, alongside support and assistance for victims, and prevention and education.
United Kingdom (UK) Ministers were among the first to sign the Trafficking Protocol to the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organised Crime and are committed to implementing its measures, one of which is the introduction of trafficking offences. To take measures forward, the European Union Framework Decision on trafficking in human beings has been provisionally agreed by representatives of all European Union member states and will be adopted by the Justice and Home Affairs Council as a legally binding document in the near future. We will introduce legislation to introduce criminal offences into UK law as soon as parliamentary time permits.