Part of Modern Slavery Bill – in a Public Bill Committee am 3:30 pm ar 9 Medi 2014.
I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for setting out the intention behind the amendment. The Government will support law enforcement to implement the new slavery and trafficking prevention and risk orders and to use them appropriately and effectively to protect the public. Clause 32 will help to achieve that goal by requiring the Secretary of State to issue guidance to chief officers of the police, immigration officers and the director general of the National Crime Agency regarding the use of their powers in relation to the orders.
The guidance will include advice on how to use orders effectively, covering, for example, the types of restrictions that could assist in managing the risk posed by individuals and the onward management of others. We expect that the guidance will also be used to help law enforcement deal appropriately with more vulnerable people. We will work with law enforcement bodies and wider partners to develop the guidance. I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that guidance on the measures that may be included as part of a slavery and trafficking risk order, which he wants to introduce through the amendment, will be included in the broader guidance.
The amendment is also intended to ensure that such guidance is published within one month of the Bill reaching Royal Assent. Although we can anticipate what the guidance will include, we cannot finalise it until full discussion of the Bill has concluded. We will work with law enforcement and wider partners to develop the guidance, and we will consider including guidance on issues that are raised as the measures are debated in Parliament. Consequently, we must ensure that there is sufficient time to consult on the draft guidance. It would be unwise to bind the Government into achieving that in such a short time frame.
As the guidance will be issued at the same time as the provisions of the Bill commence, requiring the guidance to be issued one month after Royal Assent would tie the Government into commencing the provisions at the same time. The Bill may receive Royal Assent close to the date of the dissolution of Parliament before the general election. When a general election campaign is under way, it would be impractical to require any guidance to be completed within a month. I therefore hope that the right hon. Gentleman will withdraw his amendment.