Contents
- Attendance
- Decision on Taking Business in Private
- Subordinate Legislation
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Remand
Subordinate Legislation
Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 (Support for Victims) Regulations 2018 [Draft]
Item 2 is consideration of an affirmative instrument. I welcome Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Justice, and his official: Peter Hope-Jones is the human trafficking team leader; and Louise Miller is from the directorate for legal services.
I refer members to paper 1, which is a note by the clerk. Do you want to make an opening statement, cabinet secretary?
Yes. Thank you, convener.
The Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 (Support for Victims) Regulations 2018, alongside the separate commencement order for section 9 of the 2015 act, place support to trafficking victims on a statutory basis, set the relevant period for support at 90 days and specify that victims of slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour also have a statutory right to support for the same period. Scotland is the first part of the United Kingdom to make that support a statutory right, and the 90-day period represents a doubling of the current period of support and a longer period than anywhere else in the UK.
I announced the intention to set the period at 90 days on 13 June 2017, following consultation. The announcement was welcomed by the independent anti-slavery commissioner, charities that work directly with victims and all parties in the Parliament.
The offence of holding a person in slavery or servitude or forcing a person to perform forced or compulsory labour is set out in section 4 of the 2015 act. Consultation showed strong agreement with the proposal that victims of that crime should have the same level of support as victims of human trafficking. Section 10 of the act empowers Scottish ministers to make provision for support for victims of section 4 offences, and the draft regulations specify that that support should be in line with that for trafficking victims.
The draft regulations will bolster the support to victims of these terrible crimes and, alongside the other reforms in the 2015 act and the trafficking and exploitation strategy, will help to move us towards a Scotland that is free of the suffering that is caused by trafficking, slavery and exploitation.
Thank you. Do members have any comments or questions for the cabinet secretary?
I will briefly comment, convener. You will recall that we examined the issue in the previous session. All the evidence then suggested that additional support needed to be put in place, so the instrument is very welcome.
As there are no other comments, we move to item 3, which is formal consideration of the motion. The Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee has considered and reported on the instrument and had no comment on it. The cabinet secretary will move the motion, and there will be an opportunity for formal debate if necessary.
Motion moved,
That the Justice Committee recommends that the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 (Support for Victims) Regulations 2018 [draft] be approved.—[Michael Matheson]
Motion agreed to.
That concludes our consideration of the instrument. The committee’s report will note and confirm the outcome of the debate. Are members content to delegate authority to me as convener to clear the final draft of the report?
Members indicated agreement.
Thank you. All that remains for me to do is to thank the cabinet secretary and his officials for attending.
I suspend the meeting briefly to allow for a changeover in witnesses.
09:51 Meeting suspended.09:53 On resuming—