Part of Modern Slavery Bill – in a Public Bill Committee am 5:00 pm ar 4 Medi 2014.
I will be brief as we are tired. Members know the structure of these new clauses. It was the shape of the Bill that was agreed by the pre-legislative scrutiny Committee. There are two key issues on which I hope the Minister can reassure us a bit. Perhaps if she can do that I will not push this further. First, there is the issue that is covered in new clause 9 concerning facilitation and whether someone is guilty if they are facilitating or assisting in this sort of offence. Then in new clause 11 there is the issue of committing an offence within or outside the United Kingdom. I know that she dealt with this to some extent in response to the hon. Member for Derry—[ Interruption. ] Gosh, I am getting this wrong. I meant, of course, the hon. Member for Foyle. I said I would be brief. What I meant was that I did not really understand the Minister’s answer to the point that was made.
It would be helpful for Members to understand whether the Bill has any extraterritorial impact. I ask that because in some of our child exploitation offences, child rape and so on, there is a clear extraterritorial effect that has helped in the pursuit of some of the worst and most egregious cases of child abuse. People who travel to countries where children are offered as prostitutes and so on can be prosecuted in the UK. The Committee would be interested to learn from the Minister about the international impact of the legislation as it is proposed. The Joint Committee felt that when it came to offences which the Minister described as the most heinous, in other words, slavery, they should have an extraterritorial impact. Can she tell the Committee about that?