Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 1141: To ask the Minister for Justice and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the "Setting the Record" report released in August 2010 by the Association of Chief Police Officers in the UK which found a minimum of 2,600 of the estimated 17,000 migrant women involved in the UK's off-street sex industry are victims of human trafficking and that another 9,600 are considered vulnerable migrants and, in view of its findings, whether the figures for Ireland where his Department has identified six suspected victims of sex trafficking in 2009 demonstrate that his policy is failing trafficked women and girls; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33224/10]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 1142: To ask the Minister for Justice and Law Reform if, in view of the findings of the UK Association of Chief Police Officers "Setting the Record" report, he will direct An Garda Síochána to take more proactive measures to locate and assist victims of trafficking here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33225/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1141 and 1142 together.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that the report titled 'Setting the Record: The trafficking of migrant women in the England and Wales off-street prostitution sector' which was published by the Association of Chief Police Officers in August 2010, is being examined by An Garda Síochána to establish its relevance, if any, to the investigation of human trafficking to this jurisdiction.

It should be noted that the Report is a prevalence study of human trafficking in off street prostitution. It provides an estimate of the number of women who are trafficked in England and Wales and who are working in indoor prostitution. It does not state that the police in the UK have personally identified 2,600 as victims of trafficking but rather that this is the number estimated to exist. Figures published by the UK Human Trafficking Centre show that between April 2009 and March 2010, a total of 706 referrals were made to the competent authorities in the UK. Of these, 361 persons were identified as having reasonable grounds for accepting that they were trafficked. There were conclusive grounds decisions for believing 122 of these persons were trafficked. The UK Human Trafficking Centre figures provide a more meaningful comparison with the Irish statistics for human trafficking.

The Deputy's figure of six victims identified in 2009 as victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation does not reflect the actual situation. Sixty six individuals were alleged to be potential victims of human trafficking in 2009. Of these, eleven (including six suspected victims of sexual exploitation) required an immigration permission under the Administrative Immigration Arrangements for the Protection of Victims of Human Trafficking pending an examination of their claim. The remainder already had existing permissions to remain in the State based on their application for asylum pursuant to the Refugee Act, 1996 or on other forms of residence permissions and the Administrative Immigration Arrangements did not apply to them.

I do not share the view that Government policy is failing trafficked women and girls. Dedicated units have been established in my Department, An Garda Síochána, the Legal Aid Board and the Health Service Executive to address various aspects of human trafficking. Personnel attached to a range of State agencies and service providers, have received training in recognising the indicators of human trafficking. An initiative to train the Training Officers in these State agencies was developed by the International Organisation for Migration and the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of my Department using a "Train the Trainer" model to further expand the awareness of human trafficking amongst front line service providers in State agencies.

To ensure a proactive approach to crimes associated with human trafficking, about 400 members of An Garda Síochána have been provided with advanced training relating to human trafficking. There has been an input from the UK Human Trafficking Centre at all such courses. In the region of an additional 2500 members of An Garda Síochána have been provided with basic human trafficking related awareness raising training. Training on the investigation of human trafficking related crimes, including victim identification, was also provided recently to all Senior Investigating Officers.

Targeting human trafficking is one of the goals of An Garda Síochána set out in its Annual Policing Plan for 2010 and is a particular priority for the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). An Garda Síochána has been assigned a specific role in the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) set out in the National Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Trafficking of Human Beings in Ireland 2009-2012. The NRM provides that all individuals encountered by, or referred to, An Garda Síochána, are provided with legal advice, medical assistance, accommodation and crime prevention advice. If the individual does not already have permission to be in the State and there are reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence under section 2, 3 or 4 of the Criminal Justice (Human Trafficking) Act, 2008 has been committed, a superintendent of An Garda Síochána attached to GNIB, may identify the person as a "suspected victim" of human trafficking. The individual will then be given a temporary permission (initially a 60 days 'recovery and reflection' period, followed by a six month Temporary Residence Permission which may be renewed) to remain in the State, subject to the conditions set out in the Administrative Immigration Arrangements for the Protection of Victims of Human Trafficking.