Part of 2. Questions to the Leader of the House and Chief Whip (in respect of her portfolio responsibilities) – in the Senedd at 2:34 pm on 6 December 2017.
Thank you very much. One of the other concerns they raised with me was that the manifests used on the ferries are inaccurate, with names being made up by traffickers, and, of course, there's issues around access to ports in the context of Brexit, and so on. But, nonetheless, this is leading to people being able to exploit the system.
North Wales Police have produced a report and a systematic assessment of the risk and issues concerning modern-day slavery and human trafficking in north Wales, identifying particular organised crime groups working from outside north Wales, trafficking victims through Holyhead, and employing potential victims in nail bars and pop-up brothels. And there are also groups based in north Wales, linked by familial bonds, who are targeting vulnerable males for manual labour and canvassing. So, again, you refer to the all-Wales engagement you're having, and the UK engagement, but given that this is also a west-east issue in north Wales, with particular sensitivities, and the Holyhead port issue at the core, will you engage directly with them also?