Modern Slavery Bill: Progress of the Bill Standard Note: SN/HA/7006 Last updated: 13 March 2015 Author: Sally Lipscombe Section: Home Affairs This is a note on the progress of the Modern Slavery Bill. It complements Library Research Paper 14/37 prepared for the Commons Second Reading. The Bill had its Second Reading in the Commons on 8 July 2014 and was considered by a Public Bill Committee over eleven sittings between July and October 2014. It completed its Report and Third Reading stages on 4 November 2014. The Public Bill Committee agreed a small number of minor Government amendments to the Bill. It also agreed more substantive Government amendments that added a requirement for individuals subject to either of the proposed new prevention orders to notify the authorities of their name and address. There were numerous divisions on almost every part of the Bill. There was particularly lengthy debate on the scope of the proposed slavery and trafficking offences, the need for a standalone exploitation offence, the territorial extent of the provisions on enforcement powers for ships, the independence and role of the Anti-slavery Commissioner and child trafficking advocates, the proposed statutory defence for victims, and the need for the National Referral Mechanism to be placed on a statutory footing. A new clause (moved by David Hanson) aimed at reversing changes to visas for overseas domestic workers, was narrowly defeated on division only after the Chair added his vote to the noes. On Report, the Commons agreed a number of Government amendments to the Bill. The most significant was a new clause requiring commercial organisations that supply goods or services to publish an annual “slavery and human trafficking statement”. The Bill completed its Lords stages between November 2014 and March 2015. On 17 March 2015 the Bill is due to return to the Commons for consideration of Lords amendments. The most significant amendment was the result of a Government defeat following a division on overseas domestic workers. For full background on this, please see Library Standard Note 4786 Calls to change migrant domestic worker visa conditions. This information is provided to Members of Parliament in support of their parliamentary duties and is not intended to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual. It should not be relied upon as being up to date; the law or policies may have changed since it was last updated; and it should not be relied upon as legal or professional advice or as a substitute for it. A suitably qualified professional should be consulted if specific advice or information is required. This information is provided subject to our general terms and conditions which are available online or may be provided on request in hard copy. Authors are available to discuss the content of this briefing with Members and their staff, but not with the general public. Contents 1 Introduction 4 2 Second Reading 4 3 Committee Stage 5 3.1 Slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour 5 3.2 Trafficking 6 3.3 Exploitation 7 3.4 Procuring sex for payment 8 3.5 Enforcement powers in relation to ships 9 3.6 Prevention orders 10 3.7 The Anti-slavery Commissioner 11 The Commissioner’s independence 11 The Commissioner’s remit 12 The role of Parliament 13 3.8 Defence for slavery victims 14 Child victims 14 The list of exceptions 15 3.9 Child trafficking advocates 16 3.10 The National Referral Mechanism 18 3.11 Gangmasters Licensing Authority 19 3.12 Corporate supply chains 19 3.13 Overseas domestic workers 21 4 Report and Third Reading 22 4.1 Corporate supply chains 22 4.2 Exploitation 23 4.3 Consent to slavery and servitude 23 4.4 Enforcement powers relating to ships 24 4.5 The Anti-slavery Commissioner 24 4.6 Remit of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority 24 4.7 Overseas domestic workers 25 4.8 Prostitution 25 5 Lords amendments 26 5.1 Slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour 26 2 5.2 Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner 26 Independence 26 Duty to co-operate 27 5.3 Statutory defence for child victims 27 5.4 Child trafficking advocates 28 5.5 Victim identification and support 29 5.6 Overseas domestic workers (Government defeat) 29 5.7 Transparency in supply chains 31 5.8 Gangmasters Licensing Authority 32 Appendix: Members of the Public Bill Committee 33 3 1 Introduction The Modern Slavery Bill 2014-15 was introduced on 10 June 2014.1 The Library briefing paper 14/37 The Modern Slavery Bill 2014-5 gives full background to the provisions. The Government published a draft Modern Slavery Bill in December 2013 for pre-legislative scrutiny, together with a white paper. The subsequent Joint Committee published its report on 8 April 2014. The Committee welcomed the principle of legislation, but was critical of the approach taken in the draft Bill, as merely a ‘cut and paste’ of existing offences. It set out its own draft Bill at the beginning of its report. The Government’s response was published with the Bill on 10 June. The Bill extends to England and Wales and has four main parts covering offences, prevention orders, the Anti-slavery Commissioner, and protection of victims. Part 1 would consolidate (with some amendments) the existing slavery and trafficking offences. Part 2 would introduce two new civil orders to enable the courts to place restrictions on those convicted of modern slavery offences, or those involved in such offences but not yet convicted. The orders are conceptually similar to civil orders issued under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 aimed at restricting the activities of individuals convicted of sex offences and those thought to pose a risk of sexual harm. Part 3 would establish a new Anti-slavery Commissioner to encourage good practice in the prevention, detection and investigation of offences and identification of victims. Part 4 is based largely on the Joint Committee recommendations on treatment of victims, and (other than clause 44) did not appear in the Government’s draft Bill. Part 4 includes a new statutory defence for slavery or trafficking victims compelled to commit criminal offences, and provision for new child trafficking advocates. 2 Second Reading Second reading took place on 8 July 2014.2 The Home Secretary, Theresa May, outlined the provisions of the Bill, acknowledging concern expressed about supply chains and the review into the National Referral Mechanism, due to be published shortly. The Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said that the Opposition supported the Bill but could not see why the Joint Committee’s proposals for a separate offence of child exploitation were not being adopted.3 She also called for a stronger focus on victims and international efforts against slavery. Fiona Mactaggart, co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on human trafficking and modern slavery, made some detailed points, including the nature of the proposed offences. The SDLP member Mark Durkan, expressed reservations on the failure to take on board the criticisms made by the Joint Committee of the Bill. He argued for stronger child guardian provisions. Other points made by backbench Members were on the need to strengthen the independence of the Commissioner, to review the visa rules for domestic workers and to improve the prosecution rate. Frank Field commented “the Government will 1 Bill 8 of 2014-15 2 HC Deb 8 July 2014 c166-260 3 HC Deb 8 July 2014 c183 4 be hard pressed to hold the line they have drawn in the Bill that they have submitted for second reading” given the depth of feeling expressed in the debate.4 The Minister, Karen Bradley, in her winding-up speech urged MPs not to endanger the passage of the Bill in a very short session by trying to widen its scope. The Bill represented a crucial first step in the process.5 The Bill was given an unopposed second reading. A programme motion followed which was also unopposed. 3 Committee Stage The members of the Committee are listed in the Appendix to this note. There were 11 sittings at Commons committee stage ending on 14 October 2014. The first sitting on 21 July 2014 heard oral evidence from a number of witnesses. The individual clauses and parts of the Bill are discussed in the following sections of this Note. Square brackets are used to refer to the numbering of the Bill as reprinted after Committee Stage, as two extra clauses were added (clauses 20 and 27 on the requirement for individuals subject to the new prevention orders to provide details of their name and address). 3.1 Slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour David Burrowes moved an amendment that would have provided that consent was irrelevant when determining whether a person was held in slavery or servitude under clause 1.6 The Committee also considered a similar amendment tabled by the Opposition that would have also covered forced or compulsory labour. Speaking to the lead amendment, David Burrowes said that this would “recognise the important role of psychological constraints and manipulation” in slavery and servitude cases.7 Speaking to the Opposition amendment, Diana Johnson said that making consent irrelevant to the clause 1 offence would enable cases to be prosecuted “regardless of how the victim behaves”.8 Sarah Champion said that removing the issue of consent from the offence would prevent juries from wrestling with “whether consent is informed, uninformed or not given” and would remove the risk that “the psychological manipulation and abuse that goes on means that victims will try, in court, to protect their slavemaster”.9 In response, the Minister,