We are aware of different legislative approaches to prostitution – including in Northern Ireland, where all buying of sex has been criminalised and the selling decriminalised. We have yet to see unequivocal evidence that any one approach is better at tackling harm and exploitation – and that remains our priority. Our laws are there to tackle exploitation and abuse, clamping down on activities such as brothel-keeping and kerb-crawling. We will closely monitor the implementation, enforcement, and impact of the changes in Northern Ireland.

As we set out in the Government's response to the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC), we are committed to tackling the harm and exploitation that can be associated with prostitution and sex work, and believe that people who want to leave prostitution should be given every opportunity to escape it. Through the Tampon Tax Fund, we are providing a total of £389,000 to organisations which help those who want to leave prostitution and sex work.

The Government funds a victim care contract worth £40 million between 2015-2020 for all identified adult victims of modern slavery, which can include sexual exploitation and forced prostitution, in England and Wales. This is delivered by The Salvation Army through a series of specialist sub-contractors and can include safe accommodation and psychological support.

We note the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s statement and welcome the focus on the UK’s wider support for vulnerable refugee children and efforts to prevent human trafficking at source. We will continue to engage closely with the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner on these issues.

The UK has established the £10 million Refugee Children’s Fund which is providing targeted support to meet the specific needs of unaccompanied and separated children migrating through Greece and other transit countries. The fund is providing additional and improved safe accommodation spaces for children, with 24 hour care and specialist support. The fund also provides specialist training for officials and volunteers as well as legal support and advice.

We are working internationally to help prevent vulnerable people from becoming victims. The Prime Minister pledged £33.5m of official development assistance funding, to support victims and bring perpetrators to justice by working in partnership with key countries. The PM Taskforce is also making progress bringing the collective weight of Government to bear. We are already seeing progress in intelligence gathering and are developing our international strategy to tackle the threat overseas and deepen law enforcement cooperation. This will enable us to investigate, prosecute and otherwise disrupt the activity of slave-drivers and traffickers of human beings. We also work closely with Europol and Eurojust to facilitate cross-border operations and joint investigations with European law enforcement agencies.

We note the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s statement and welcome the focus on the UK’s wider support for vulnerable refugee children and efforts to prevent human trafficking at source. We will continue to engage closely with the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner on these issues.

On 8 February, the Government announced that we will transfer the specified number of 350 children to the UK under section 67 of the Immigration Act. This number has been agreed following consultation with local authorities on their capacity to accommodate and care for unaccompanied children. We will announce in due course the basis on which further children will be transferred from Europe to the UK under section 67 of the Immigration Act to the specified number.

The Government is fully committed to the timely and efficient operation of the Dublin Regulation and supports the principle of family reunification. We are working closely with EU Member States to improve the Dublin process. We have secondees in France, Greece and Italy who are supporting work on Dublin and section 67.

The UK has established the £10 million Refugee Children’s Fund which is providing targeted support to meet the specific needs of unaccompanied and separated children migrating through Greece and other transit countries. The fund is providing additional and improved safe accommodation spaces for children, with 24hr care and specialist support. The fund also provides specialist training for officials and volunteers as well as legal support and advice.

We are working internationally to help prevent vulnerable people from becoming victims. The Prime Minister pledged £33.5m of official development assistance funding, to support victims and bring perpetrators to justice by working in partnership with key countries. The PM Taskforce is also making progress bringing the collective weight of Government to bear. We are already seeing progress in intelligence gathering and are developing our international strategy to tackle the threat overseas and deepen law enforcement cooperation. This will enable us to investigate, prosecute and otherwise disrupt the activity of slave-drivers and traffickers of human beings. We also work closely with Europol and Eurojust to facilitate cross-border operations and joint investigations with European law enforcement agencies.

Data relating to compensation awarded in respect of convictions for human trafficking in 2015 can be found in the “outcomes by offence” data tool table contained in the annual Criminal Justice Statistics publication, linked below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015

No defendants convicted in 2015 were ordered by the court to pay compensation for the offences of human trafficking for non-sexual exploitation and human trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012, compensation may be paid to victims of violent crime. However, these payments are on the basis of injury sustained and not related to criminal proceedings: the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority which administers the scheme does not keep records based on convictions, and so cannot provide figures for the number of compensation payments made to victims of human trafficking.

The Government has introduced provisions for bespoke Slavery and Trafficking Reparation Orders in the Modern Slavery Act 2015. These orders are designed to ensure that more money confiscated from convicted traffickers goes directly to their victims.

The table shows the numbers of defendants prosecuted, convicted and sentenced for slavery and trafficking offences, on a principal offence basis, between 2009 and 2015. The figures do not cover instances where perpetrators of modern slavery have been prosecuted and convicted using non-slavery offences, or where their illegal activities were disrupted by other means.

The criminal justice provisions in the Modern Slavery Act were commenced on 31 July 2015, so prosecutions under the Act only apply to criminal conduct alleged to have taken place since that date. Offences occurring before the commencement of the Modern Slavery Act will still be prosecuted under the previous legislation. Despite the very recent introduction of the new offences and the time it takes for law enforcement to bring complex cases involving modern slavery to trial, 12 defendants had already been prosecuted under the Act in 2015.