Written questions by Asato.

Whether any police forces have instigated an investigation into trafficking crimes committed as part of the Epstein scandal.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has established a national coordination group and has appointed a senior investigator to support forces in reviewing the extensive material and progressing any resulting investigations.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on improving consistency in identification of child victims of modern slavery by introducing a statutory definition of child criminal exploitation; and whether she will include a definition in an updated edition of the Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance.

The Home Office is working closely with the Department for Education to improve the identification and response to victims of child criminal exploitation (CCE).As committed to in the Government’s manifesto, we are introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation in the Crime and Policing Bill. The offence itself already defines CCE.In addition, we will include a definition of child criminal exploitation in the statutory guidance that the Government will issue to the police in relation to the new offence. The CCE definition in this statutory guidance will set out in layman’s terms the conduct captured by the offence as well as additional information for police and practitioners on how the offence should be applied and victims identified by the police. This will promote awareness and ensure there is a shared understanding of child criminal exploitation so that victims are better identified and receive the protection they need.We will also review existing guidance, including Working Together to Safeguard Children and consider what amendments to such guidance may be needed as a result of introducing this new offence.A public Call for Evidence on how the Government can improve the process of identifying victims of modern slavery, human trafficking and exploitation closed on 8th October, and the Home Office is analysing the responses received.

How many cases supported by the Forced Marriage Unit in each of the last five years resulted in a referral to the National Referral Mechanism; and what specialist support for girls affected by forced marriage is funded through the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls programme.

The UK is a world leader in the fight to stamp out the harmful practice of forced marriage. The joint Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) has been working to combat forced marriage since 2005. The Forced Marriage Unit provides support to victims, those at risk of forced marriage, and advice to professionals through its public helpline and inbox. The support offered ranges from providing information and guidance, to consular assistance for victims who are British national and habitual residents overseas.The FMU works in an advisory capacity and therefore does not hold information on referrals of victims to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). First Responders, such as Local Authorities, the police, Border Force, UKVI, and Immigration Enforcement, and specific NGOs, are responsible for identifying indicators of modern slavery and referring potential victims into the NRM for their cases to be considered by the appropriate Competent Authority.The Home Office also funds Karma Nirvana to operate the national ‘Honour’-Based Abuse (HBA) Helpline. This service aims, through the provision of a telephone line and e-mail service to support victims and survivors of HBA including forced marriage.

Whether the forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and its delivery plan will include (a) funding and (b) measures to improve support for (i) child victims of criminal exploitation (ii) child victims of sexual exploitation, (iii) other victims of modern slavery, (iv) child victims of 'honour-based' abuse, and (v) child victims of forced marriage.

The new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy will set the direction for the next decade, driving forward the Government’s bold ambition to halve VAWG within ten years. We’re working towards publication as soon as possible and I will continue to keep the House updated on its development and forthcoming publication.The Strategy will cover all forms of VAWG, including but not limited to sexual violence, domestic abuse, stalking, ‘honour’-based abuse, forced marriage, and sexual exploitation, and will address VAWG that can occur online as well as offline. All victims of VAWG are in scope of the Strategy and tackling child sexual abuse and exploitation will be covered.Extensive work is already underway across government to address all of these crimes.

When regulations requiring providers of regulated user-to-user services to report child sexual abuse and exploitation content to the National Crime Agency will (a) be laid and (b) come into force.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) is responsible for the development and implementation of the Designated Reporting Body (DRB), which will receive reports of CSEA from in-scope user-to-user service providers. The NCA has confirmed that the DRB has been delayed due to technical issues. By revoking the original SIs, the Government is granting the NCA time to resolve technical issues with the reporting portal and allow for the reporting portal to be thoroughly tested ahead of the portal becoming fully operational. This will significantly increase the prospect of an efficient, fully accessible and robust reporting mechanism when legislation comes into force.We expect the impact of this revocation to be minimal, given service providers can and already do report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the US, as US-based services, under US law. NCMEC forwards any reports with a UK nexus to UK law enforcement.More broadly, until the CSEA reporting provisions within the Online Safety Act (OSA) comes into force, services can continue to act as they do now, including reporting under international law, to existing reporting bodies and law enforcement. Again, suspected CSEA cases with a UK nexus made via alternative channels, including reports made internationally, will continue to be passed to UK law enforcement.The NCA expects the DRB to go live in Spring 2026. The OSA’s provisions to report CSEA content to the NCA, including the Reporting Regulations, will be laid and will come into force in parallel with the operationalisation of the DRB in Spring 2026.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the revocation of the Online Safety Act 2023 (Commencement No 5) Regulations 2025 on the spread of child sexual abuse material online.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) is responsible for the development and implementation of the Designated Reporting Body (DRB), which will receive reports of CSEA from in-scope user-to-user service providers. The NCA has confirmed that the DRB has been delayed due to technical issues. By revoking the original SIs, the Government is granting the NCA time to resolve technical issues with the reporting portal and allow for the reporting portal to be thoroughly tested ahead of the portal becoming fully operational. This will significantly increase the prospect of an efficient, fully accessible and robust reporting mechanism when legislation comes into force.We expect the impact of this revocation to be minimal, given service providers can and already do report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the US, as US-based services, under US law. NCMEC forwards any reports with a UK nexus to UK law enforcement.More broadly, until the CSEA reporting provisions within the Online Safety Act (OSA) comes into force, services can continue to act as they do now, including reporting under international law, to existing reporting bodies and law enforcement. Again, suspected CSEA cases with a UK nexus made via alternative channels, including reports made internationally, will continue to be passed to UK law enforcement.The NCA expects the DRB to go live in Spring 2026. The OSA’s provisions to report CSEA content to the NCA, including the Reporting Regulations, will be laid and will come into force in parallel with the operationalisation of the DRB in Spring 2026.

For what reason the Online Safety Act 2023 (Commencement No 5) Regulations 2025, due to come into force on 3 November, were revoked on 9 October.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) is responsible for the development andimplementation of the Designated Reporting Body (DRB), which will receivereports of CSEA from in-scope user-to-user service providers.The NCA hasconfirmed that the DRB has been delayed due to technical issues.Until theDRB is ready to receive reports, the CSEA reporting provisions in the OSAcannot come into force.By revoking the original SIs, the Government is granting the NCA time toresolve technical issues with the reporting portal and allow for the reportingportal to be thoroughly tested ahead of the portal becoming fully operational.This will significantly increase the prospect of an efficient, fully accessible androbust reporting mechanism when legislation comes into force.The NCA expects the DRB to go live in Spring 2026. The OSA’s provisions toreport CSEA content to the NCA, including the Reporting Regulations, will belaid and will come into force in parallel with the operationalisation of the DRBin Spring 2026.

Whether her Department requires mandatory training in coercive and controlling behaviour for all staff in multi-agency safeguarding hubs.

Coercive and controlling behaviour (CCB) is a particularly insidious form of domestic abuse and I recognise the long-term emotional and psychological distress it can cause victims, including older people.Statutory guidance on CCB has been issued to the police and other agencies, which can be found here [Controlling or coercive behaviour statutory guidance]. In addition, the Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance is clear that older victims may face additional challenges and barriers in accessing support and that it is crucial that they get the support they need.Multi-agency safeguarding hubs have a crucial role to play in the safeguarding system by keeping vulnerable adults, including vulnerable people, safe. Multi-agency safeguarding hubs are non-statutory, and models and ways of working vary between areas. As these are local initiatives, local authorities are best placed to make decisions on the training and guidance required for staff.The Government is committed to tackling the abuse of older people. We are providing the specialist organisation Hourglass with £532,121 this year. This funding will provide enhanced helpline support with a focus on reaching marginalised communities across England and Wales by providing more training to staff in their organisation and external agencies.

Whether her Department requires staff in multi-agency safeguarding hubs to receive safeguarding training on the risks of non-intimate partner coercive and controlling behaviour of older victims.

Coercive and controlling behaviour (CCB) is a particularly insidious form of domestic abuse and I recognise the long-term emotional and psychological distress it can cause victims, including older people.Statutory guidance on CCB has been issued to the police and other agencies, which can be found here [Controlling or coercive behaviour statutory guidance]. In addition, the Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance is clear that older victims may face additional challenges and barriers in accessing support and that it is crucial that they get the support they need.Multi-agency safeguarding hubs have a crucial role to play in the safeguarding system by keeping vulnerable adults, including vulnerable people, safe. Multi-agency safeguarding hubs are non-statutory, and models and ways of working vary between areas. As these are local initiatives, local authorities are best placed to make decisions on the training and guidance required for staff.The Government is committed to tackling the abuse of older people. We are providing the specialist organisation Hourglass with £532,121 this year. This funding will provide enhanced helpline support with a focus on reaching marginalised communities across England and Wales by providing more training to staff in their organisation and external agencies.

Whether her Department has provided guidance for multi-agency staff on non-intimate partner coercive and controlling behaviour of older victims.

Coercive and controlling behaviour (CCB) is a particularly insidious form of domestic abuse and I recognise the long-term emotional and psychological distress it can cause victims, including older people.Statutory guidance on CCB has been issued to the police and other agencies, which can be found here [Controlling or coercive behaviour statutory guidance]. In addition, the Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance is clear that older victims may face additional challenges and barriers in accessing support and that it is crucial that they get the support they need.Multi-agency safeguarding hubs have a crucial role to play in the safeguarding system by keeping vulnerable adults, including vulnerable people, safe. Multi-agency safeguarding hubs are non-statutory, and models and ways of working vary between areas. As these are local initiatives, local authorities are best placed to make decisions on the training and guidance required for staff.The Government is committed to tackling the abuse of older people. We are providing the specialist organisation Hourglass with £532,121 this year. This funding will provide enhanced helpline support with a focus on reaching marginalised communities across England and Wales by providing more training to staff in their organisation and external agencies.

With reference to the report entitled Abuse of women runners: implications for the violence against women and girls policy agenda, published by the University of Manchester in November 2024, whether she plans to recognise women runners as a distinct group for purposes of the forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.

This Government has been clear that the level of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in our country is intolerable, and we are treating it as the national emergency that it is. Everyone should both be and feel safe whilst going about their day-to-day lives - and we recognise the particular vulnerability that women runners may feel.We will go further than before to deliver a cross-government transformative approach to halve VAWG in a decade, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy, which we are aiming to publish in September.We are working across Government to use every tool available to target perpetrators and address the root causes of abuse and violence to keep all women safe.

What recent steps her Department has taken to review the (a) accuracy, (b) ethics and (c) fairness of (i) scientific methods and (ii) artificial intelligence tools used to assess the age of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children; and what child-centred safeguards are in place to protect their welfare.

Assessing the age of unaccompanied children is an incredibly complex and difficult task, and the Home Office is currently assessing which scientific methods and artificial intelligence can best improve age assessment methods. The Government will inform Parliament of any decisions on this policy area in due course.All policy development is carried out with regard to section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 and the best interests of the child.

What the cost to the public purse was of establishing and operating the National Age Assessment Board; and if she will divert this expenditure into training social workers in local authorities.

Due to the operational nature of the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB), the costs are subject to change and are currently not published. The Home Office continues to keep all aspects of the immigration system under review, including the best process for conducting age assessments.

What recent steps her Department has taken to publish (a) the number of people claiming to be children who have been assessed as adults on first arrival and (b) the number later found to be children following further assessment.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Available data on the number of raised and resolved age disputes is published in table Asy_D05 of the asylum detailed tables. Updated data will be included in a future edition of the Immigration System Statistics release.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of her Department's age-assessment process for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children; and what steps she is taking to ensure that children are treated as children unless evidence proves otherwise.

Assessing the age of unaccompanied children is an incredibly complex and difficult task, and the Home Office is currently assessing which scientific methods and artificial intelligence can best improve age assessment methods. The Government will inform Parliament of any decisions on this policy area in due course.All policy development is carried out with regard to section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 and the best interests of the child.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce demand for trafficking for sexual exploitation in Lowestoft constituency.

The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has set out an ambition to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will use all the levers available to us to deliver this. 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 (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 Lowestoft. 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 Suffolk. As we both know this will not be the extent of sexual exploitation in this area. 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 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. 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 under the guise of prostitution. The Government will set out next steps in this area in due course.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the scale of commercial sexual exploitation in Lowestoft constituency.

The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has set out an ambition to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will use all the levers available to us to deliver this. 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 (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 Lowestoft. 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 Suffolk. As we both know this will not be the extent of sexual exploitation in this area. 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 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. 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 under the guise of prostitution. The Government will set out next steps in this area in due course.

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 Lowestoft constituency.

The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has set out an ambition to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will use all the levers available to us to deliver this. 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 (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 Lowestoft. 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 Suffolk. As we both know this will not be the extent of sexual exploitation in this area. 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 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. 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 under the guise of prostitution. The Government will set out next steps in this area in due course.

What support her Department provides to help victims of sexual exploitation in Lowestoft constituency exit prostitution.

The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has set out an ambition to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will use all the levers available to us to deliver this. 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 (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 Lowestoft. 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 Suffolk. As we both know this will not be the extent of sexual exploitation in this area. 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 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. 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 under the guise of prostitution. The Government will set out next steps in this area in due course.