In reply to a question from Lord Hylton in the House of Lords on 30 October 2002, the Government said that it intends to legislate against trafficking for purposes of both labour and sexual exploitation as "soon as parliamentary time permits, but before July 2004."

The Government also stated that it is committed to supporting victims of trafficking. It is in discussion with the voluntary sector to establish a comprehensive support network and will run the project on a pilot basis next year.

The Government welcomed the publication of Anti-Slavery International's comparative report on trafficking and victim protection and said that the Government will study the report carefully and that the report will help to shape Government policy in the future.

While the Government's statements in these areas are welcome, it has not committed itself to bringing forward legislation against trafficking for purposes of both labour and sexual exploitation in the next Parliamentary session.

In a separate development the Minister of State at the Home Office, Beverley Hughes, issued a paper dealing with a range of issues associated with the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill. This paper quotes recent Home Office research, which indicates that in 1999-2000 migrants contributed £2.5 billion more in taxes then they consumed in benefits. It also states that migration is generally beneficial to the UK in economic and social terms and that migrants do not compete for jobs with the resident labour force.

An increase in opportunities for regular migration would be welcome as this is likely to reduce the number of people who fall into the hands of traffickers. However, there is still no indication from the Government that they will consider signing the United Nations Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and their Families, 1990, which would help to protect migrant workers from exploitation.