Part 4—The Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner
Part 4
The Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner
40The Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner
(1) The Secretary of State must, after consulting the Scottish Ministers and the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland, appoint a person as the Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner (in this Part “the Commissioner”).
(2) The Commissioner is to hold office in accordance with the terms of the Commissioner’s appointment.
(3) The Secretary of State may pay in respect of the Commissioner any expenses, remuneration or allowances that the Secretary of State may determine.
(4) The Secretary of State—
- (a) must before the beginning of each financial year specify a maximum sum which the Commissioner may spend that year,
- (b) may permit that to be exceeded for a specified purpose, and
- (c) subject to paragraphs (a) and (b), must defray the Commissioner’s expenditure for each financial year.
(5) In this Part, “financial year” means— (a) the period beginning with the day on which the first Commissioner takes office and ending with the following 31 March, and (b) each successive period of 12 months.
(6) The Commissioner may appoint staff.
(7) In Part 3 of Schedule 1 to the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975 (offices disqualifying for membership: other disqualifying offices) at the appropriate place insert—
- “Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner”.
(8) In Part 3 of Schedule 1 to the Northern Ireland Assembly Disqualification Act 1975 (offices disqualifying for membership: other disqualifying offices) at the appropriate place insert—
- “Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner”.
(9) In Part 6 of Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (other public bodies and offices: general) at the appropriate place insert—
- “The Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner”.
41General functions of Commissioner
(1) The Commissioner must encourage good practice in—
- (a) the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of slavery and human trafficking offences;
- (b) the identification of victims of those offences.
(2) For the purposes of this section a slavery and human trafficking offence is an offence under—
- (a) section 1, 2 or 4 of this Act,
