Debate on bill on Tuesday, 17 March 2015, in the House of Commons, led by Karen Bradley.

Modern Slavery Bill

Programme (No. 3) motion relating to consideration of Lords amendments. Agreed to on question. Lords amendments. Lords amendment 72, disagreed to on division (276 to 209). Government amendments (a) to (c) made in lieu. Lords amendment 1, agreed to on question. Lords amendments 2-71 and 73-95 agreed to, with Commons financial privileges waived in respect of Lords amendments 20, 45 and 61.

Secondary information

Type: Parliamentary proceeding
Reference: 594 cc644-694
Session: 2014-15
Department: Home Office
Legislative stage: Lords amendments
Procedure: Programme motions
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Related items: Modern Slavery Bill 2014-15. Lords amendments.
Thursday, 5 March 2015
Bills
House of Commons; Deposited Paper DEP2015-0369
Friday, 20 March 2015
Deposited papers
House of Commons
Proceeding contributions: John Bercow | 594 c645 (Link to this contribution)
I must draw the House’s attention to the fact that financial privilege is involved in Lords amend...; Karen Bradley | 594 c645 (Link to this contribution)
I beg to move, That this House disagrees with Lords amendment 72.; John Bercow | 594 c645 (Link to this contribution)
With this it will be convenient to take Government amendments (a) to (c) in lieu of Lords amendme...; Karen Bradley | 594 c645 (Link to this contribution)
As Members know, there has been considerable interest in the position of overseas domestic worker...; Lord Field of Birkenhead | 594 c645 (Link to this contribution)
I am immensely grateful to the Minister for those comments, and Mr Speaker was nodding in agreeme...; John Bercow | 594 c645 (Link to this contribution)
That is a very ingenious way of signalling a desire to contribute, and the right hon. Gentleman m...; Karen Bradley | 594 cc645-6 (Link to this contribution)
I look forward to hearing from the right hon. Gentleman, and it sounds to me as though you will b...; Emily Thornberry | 594 c646 (Link to this contribution)
I applaud and understand what the Minister says about ensuring that those who enslave domestic se...; Karen Bradley | 594 c646 (Link to this contribution)
I shall address later in my remarks exactly what is envisaged through the amendment in lieu to gi...; Henry Smith | 594 c646 (Link to this contribution)
It is essential that we get this Bill on the statute book before the Dissolution of Parliament ne...; Karen Bradley | 594 c646 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend for his comments. He is right: we are at a very late stage and we want thi...; Fiona Mactaggart | 594 c646 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Lady emphasised that she wanted, through the Government amendment, to give additional pr...; Karen Bradley | 594 c647 (Link to this contribution)
I am afraid that the right hon. Lady has misunderstood the amendment. The protections available t...; David Burrowes | 594 c647 (Link to this contribution)
The good progress in the Lords reflects the comments that were made in the Bill Committee. Will t...; Karen Bradley | 594 cc647-8 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend and the right hon. Member for Slough (Fiona Mactaggart) were strong and assiduous ...; Emily Thornberry | 594 c648 (Link to this contribution)
Would not the Lords amendment effectively bring us back to the position that we were in in 2012, ...; Karen Bradley | 594 c648 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Lady will know that there was abuse under the old regime. We wanted to ensure that we we...; Emily Thornberry | 594 c648 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the Minister for her answer, but I do not really understand why the rules were c...; Karen Bradley | 594 c649 (Link to this contribution)
The evidence is not that it has made things worse. Kalayaan, the leading charity in this area, wa...; Fiona Mactaggart | 594 c649 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way on that point?; Karen Bradley | 594 c649 (Link to this contribution)
I want to understand what is happening with the visa and to ensure that we do not import abuse. T...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 594 c649 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister has just indicated to the House that the person who will look at this issue was the ...; Karen Bradley | 594 c649 (Link to this contribution)
The right hon. Gentleman is an experienced parliamentarian, but he knows that there were problems...; Michael Connarty | 594 c649 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Karen Bradley | 594 c649 (Link to this contribution)
Of course. How could I not give way to the hon. Gentleman?; Michael Connarty | 594 c649 (Link to this contribution)
I have been listening to what the Minister is saying. In the past, under the Labour Government’s ...; Karen Bradley | 594 c649 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman will also know that we have reviewed the national referral mechanism and that ...; Lord Field of Birkenhead | 594 c650 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister is moving the debate on, in that she is saying that a future Parliament will decide ...; Karen Bradley | 594 c650 (Link to this contribution)
We have asked for this review to take place and we look forward to the recommendations. I cannot ...; Fiona Mactaggart | 594 c650 (Link to this contribution)
I tried to intervene on the point about Kalayaan, because I want to put on the record that Kalaya...; Karen Bradley | 594 cc650-1 (Link to this contribution)
On the numbers, I accept and do not dispute what Kalayaan is saying. What I am saying is that thr...; David Burrowes | 594 c651 (Link to this contribution)
We are all united in wanting to ensure that victims have the confidence to come forward, knowing ...; Karen Bradley | 594 c651 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend sums it up perfectly—I could not sum it up better. The problem we have with a syst...; Michael Connarty | 594 c651 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Karen Bradley | 594 c651 (Link to this contribution)
I hope the hon. Gentleman will not mind but I am going to make some progress.
The victims o...; Emily Thornberry | 594 c652 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Michael Connarty | 594 c652 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Karen Bradley | 594 c652 (Link to this contribution)
I said that I was going to make progress, but I will give way to the hon. Lady and the hon. Gentl...; Emily Thornberry | 594 c652 (Link to this contribution)
I am trying to think about this in terms of the real world. It seems to me that the best way of e...; Karen Bradley | 594 c652 (Link to this contribution)
Let me be clear: this is not about coming forward to the police; it is about victims coming forwa...; Michael Connarty | 594 c652 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister is trying to explain a difficult subject. The difficulty I have is that she seems to...; Karen Bradley | 594 c652 (Link to this contribution)
indicated dissent.; Michael Connarty | 594 c652 (Link to this contribution)
That is what happens to victims now. They are transferred from a caring organisation such as Kala...; Karen Bradley | 594 c653 (Link to this contribution)
I have enormous respect for the hon. Gentleman, but the way that he has painted the picture of th...; John Bercow | 594 c653 (Link to this contribution)
Order. We must conduct this debate in a seemly manner. The hon. Member for Linlithgow and East Fa...; Karen Bradley | 594 cc653-4 (Link to this contribution)
Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I do apologise for that.
It is important to make it clear that v...; Mark Durkan | 594 c654 (Link to this contribution)
Given that the Minister has said that the Government amendment requiring victims to go through th...; Karen Bradley | 594 cc654-6 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman, who was a distinguished member of the Bill Committee, knows that there are no...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 594 c656 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome this debate, which is the latest in a number of debates we have had on this issue. As t...; Karen Bradley | 594 c657 (Link to this contribution)
The right hon. Gentleman fails to mention that I have managed to convince the Equality and Human ...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 594 c657 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; John Bercow | 594 c657 (Link to this contribution)
Order. I should congratulate the right hon. Member for Slough (Fiona Mactaggart) on her elevation...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 594 cc657-8 (Link to this contribution)
I wish to speak in support of Lords amendment 72 and try once again, alongside my right hon. and ...; Caroline Spelman | 594 c658 (Link to this contribution)
Surely the Joint Committee’s point about the moral case for revisiting the issue has been taken u...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 594 c658 (Link to this contribution)
Let me reassure the right hon. Lady that we seek to support the Lords in their amendment. If the ...; Chloe Smith | 594 c658 (Link to this contribution)
On the subject of waiting for another day, is there not a problem with Lords amendment 72? If a v...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 594 c658 (Link to this contribution)
There is the National Crime Agency, there is legislation against abuse and, as Kalayaan has said,...; Lord Stunell | 594 c659 (Link to this contribution)
The evidence that we took in Committee was that these are very frightened and vulnerable people w...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 594 cc659-660 (Link to this contribution)
I might have been able to take the right hon. Gentleman at his word, had he not joined in the rec...; Karen Bradley | 594 c660 (Link to this contribution)
We are debating the Modern Slavery Bill, aren’t we? What we are looking at here is how we protect...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 594 c660 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful. There is no disagreement between us, but the issue for me is still the position wi...; Chloe Smith | 594 c660 (Link to this contribution)
The right hon. Gentleman’s words belie him. Just a few sentences ago he said he wanted to unpick ...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 594 c660 (Link to this contribution)
With due respect to the hon. Lady, under the Government’s proposal an individual would have to fi...; Karen Bradley | 594 c660 (Link to this contribution)
If somebody is unable to get to an authority to report themselves as a victim of slavery when the...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 594 cc660-1 (Link to this contribution)
It is important that they have the ability to do so.
I come back to my starting point. If t...; Karen Bradley | 594 c661 (Link to this contribution)
The right hon. Gentleman is very generous in allowing me to intervene. He hits the nail on the he...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 594 c661 (Link to this contribution)
There is a disagreement between us, as ever. That is the nature of the debate that we have in the...; Mark Durkan | 594 c661 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Lord Hanson of Flint | 594 c661 (Link to this contribution)
I was about to commend my point of view to the House, but I cannot resist an intervention from my...; Mark Durkan | 594 c661 (Link to this contribution)
Does the right hon. Gentleman recognise that the Minister has said that the employers could go on...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 594 c662 (Link to this contribution)
I am eternally grateful that I allowed my hon. Friend to intervene and I am grateful for his supp...; Emily Thornberry | 594 c662 (Link to this contribution)
Governments have been talking for years about bringing in a modern slavery Bill. Does my right ho...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 594 c662 (Link to this contribution)
I remind the House that in taking the position that they have today, the Government are rejecting...; Caroline Nokes | 594 c662 (Link to this contribution)
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to speak in this debate on amendments to the...; Lord Hanson of Flint | 594 c662 (Link to this contribution)
Let me assure the hon. Lady, on behalf of Her Majesty’s Opposition, that we will do nothing to st...; Caroline Nokes | 594 c663 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the shadow Minister for that assurance.
My constituents who have contacted me on th...; Michael Connarty | 594 c663 (Link to this contribution)
Is the hon. Lady aware that under the previous Government, who brought in the three-year visa, pe...; Caroline Nokes | 594 c663 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the hon. Gentleman for making that point. Let me make the point that his Government had 1...; Emily Thornberry | 594 c663 (Link to this contribution)
Does not the hon. Lady agree, though, that a modern slavery Bill ought to be more than just its t...; Caroline Nokes | 594 c663 (Link to this contribution)
Of course we all want this to be good law, which is precisely what the Minister intends. We do no...; Karen Bradley | 594 c663 (Link to this contribution)
Has my hon. Friend reflected on the fact that when the Modern Slavery Bill becomes the Modern Sla...; Caroline Nokes | 594 cc663-4 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. Of course she is absolutely right—it is a massive d...; Lord Field of Birkenhead | 594 c664 (Link to this contribution)
Despite what my hon. Friend the Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry) said, ...; Heather Wheeler | 594 c664 (Link to this contribution)
I approach this debate with, perhaps, a different viewpoint from some other people in the Chamber...; Fiona Mactaggart | 594 cc664-6 (Link to this contribution)
I am very sad about this debate on Lords amendment 72. For some time, we have debated the treatme...; Heather Wheeler | 594 c666 (Link to this contribution)
I love the passion with which the hon. Lady speaks about this issue, but I really think she is mi...; Fiona Mactaggart | 594 c666 (Link to this contribution)
Actually, Lords amendment 72 would make exactly the change that the hon. Lady says we need. It wo...; Michael Connarty | 594 cc666-7 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister has become much more skilful at arguing her brief than she was at the beginning of t...; Karen Bradley | 594 c667 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Michael Connarty | 594 c667 (Link to this contribution)
Is that slavery as far as the Minister is concerned?
2 pm; Karen Bradley | 594 c667 (Link to this contribution)
I say again that, yes, I want victims to provide information that enables us to catch the perpetr...; Michael Connarty | 594 c667 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister did not answer the question that I asked. If someone is not paid and their employer ...; Karen Bradley | 594 c668 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. That is a breach of our employment laws. HMRC is pursuing...; Michael Connarty | 594 c668 (Link to this contribution)
Amendment (a) is deficient. Lords amendment 72 is simple and states that people can
“change...; Heather Wheeler | 594 c668 (Link to this contribution)
I wonder whether the hon. Gentleman genuinely misunderstands what is going on here. He is an expe...; Fiona Mactaggart | 594 c669 (Link to this contribution)
That’s not what we’re saying.; Heather Wheeler | 594 c669 (Link to this contribution)
That is exactly what the hon. Gentleman is suggesting. He is going into realms that are not to do...; Michael Connarty | 594 c669 (Link to this contribution)
As I am the person who forced the Prime Minister eventually to sign up to the directive on human ...; Emily Thornberry | 594 cc669-670 (Link to this contribution)
I remember welcoming the Government’s move to opt into the EU directive on human trafficking in M...; Fiona Mactaggart | 594 c670 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is a lawyer and has court experience of these matters. Will she comment on advice ...; Emily Thornberry | 594 c671 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. Friend—it is a pleasure to say that—is absolutely right, and in a way she predicts ...; Paul Blomfield | 594 cc671-2 (Link to this contribution)
I commend the Minister for the passion with which she spoke earlier about the vulnerability of vi...; Karen Bradley | 594 c672 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman is making a powerful speech, and I thank him for mentioning Focus on Labour Ex...; Paul Blomfield | 594 c672 (Link to this contribution)
I understand what the Minister is saying, but let me explain why I think the Government’s approac...; Jim Cunningham | 594 c672 (Link to this contribution)
If my hon. Friend were to consider, for example, normal industrial relations, it takes a lot for ...; Paul Blomfield | 594 c673 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend makes the point very powerfully: there is enormous pressure on victims not to come...; Fiona Mactaggart | 594 c673 (Link to this contribution)
Another problem with the Government’s proposed amendments relates to people who are exploited but...; Paul Blomfield | 594 c673 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. Friend makes a very powerful additional point on why the Government’s approach is f...; Mark Reckless | 594 cc673-5 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful for your indulgence, Madam Deputy Speaker. I entered the Chamber during the speech ...; Mark Durkan | 594 cc675-6 (Link to this contribution)
Unlike the hon. Member for Rochester and Strood (Mark Reckless), having been here throughout this...; Mark Reckless | 594 c676 (Link to this contribution)
Is the hon. Gentleman not concerned that subsection (b) of the Lords amendment, which would allow...; Mark Durkan | 594 c677 (Link to this contribution)
As any evidence emerges, we will have to consider what it suggests about this sector of employmen...; Karen Bradley | 594 c677 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Baroness Laing of Elderslie | 594 c677 (Link to this contribution)
With the leave of the House, I will call the Minister briefly to speak again and answer the debat...; Karen Bradley | 594 cc677-8 (Link to this contribution)
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am grateful that you have given me the House’s leave to respon...; Lord Stunell | 594 c678 (Link to this contribution)
I appreciate the Minister’s giving way and I know she is working hard in this area. If six months...; Karen Bradley | 594 cc678-9 (Link to this contribution)
If the right hon. Gentleman will forgive me, I would have to say that it depends on the individua...; Baroness Laing of Elderslie | 594 c679 (Link to this contribution)
Order. Members have put many questions to the Minister during a long debate. She is now answering...; Karen Bradley | 594 c679 (Link to this contribution)
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.
As I was saying, I am slightly confused. It worries me tha...; Chloe Smith | 594 c679 (Link to this contribution)
Does the Minister agree that we seem to have heard the Labour Front-Bench team and the hon. Membe...; Karen Bradley | 594 c679 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend makes an important point. I have been confused. I thought we were discussing moder...; Michael Connarty | 594 c679 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister is setting up a straw man to knock it down. In the specific case I mentioned, someon...; Karen Bradley | 594 c679 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman will know that it would depend on the individual circumstances. It is clear, h...; Michael Connarty | 594 c679 (Link to this contribution)
In taking evidence about Qatar in the Committee I chair at the Council of Europe, I heard about a...; Karen Bradley | 594 cc680-1 (Link to this contribution)
As I have said, I cannot get drawn into individual examples. It would depend on the individual ci...; Karen Bradley | 594 c685 (Link to this contribution)
I beg to move, That this House agrees with Lords amendment 1.; Baroness Laing of Elderslie | 594 c685 (Link to this contribution)
With this it will be convenient to consider Lords amendments 2 to 71 and 73 to 95.; Karen Bradley | 594 c685 (Link to this contribution)
These are the amendments that the Government introduced in the other place to improve the Bill. T...; Diana Johnson | 594 cc685-8 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the Minister. I was a little taken aback by the brevity of her opening remarks, consideri...; David Burrowes | 594 cc688-9 (Link to this contribution)
This is an important Bill, which the whole House can be proud of. Throughout its passage there ha...; 594 c689 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; Baroness Laing of Elderslie | 594 c689 (Link to this contribution)
Order. Before I call the next speaker, it will be obvious to the House that we have limited time ...; Anas Sarwar | 594 cc689-690 (Link to this contribution)
I do not intend to speak for very long at all, Madam Deputy Speaker, but I just want to touch on ...; Michael Connarty | 594 cc690-1 (Link to this contribution)
I echo the positive and cautionary comments that my right hon. Friend the Member for Delyn (Mr Ha...; Paul Blomfield | 594 cc691-2 (Link to this contribution)
I want to speak briefly to Lords amendment 77. I support it, but I have some concerns about how t...; Fiona Mactaggart | 594 cc692-3 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister will not be surprised to find that I want to ask for more—I feel like Oliver sometim...; Karen Bradley | 594 cc693-4 (Link to this contribution)
With the leave of the House, I should like to respond briefly to the comments that have been made...
Subjects: Human trafficking Forced labour Domestic service Migrant workers Visas Slavery Victim support schemes Exploitation
Legislation: Modern Slavery Bill 2014-15
Link: View this Parliamentary proceeding on www.publications.parliament.uk

Modern Slavery Bill

Secondary information

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