PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Business: Human Rights (1 September 2014)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Ministers in the Home Office on UK efforts to support the protection of human rights in the supply chains for UK companies and products.

Asked by:
Kerry McCarthy (Labour)

Last September, the UK became the first country to launch a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. On 11 June my Rt Hon friend Hugo Swire MP together with the Karen Bradley MP, Minister for Modern Slavery and Organised Crime and Jo Swinson MP, Minister for Consumer Affairs and Employment Relations, held a roundtable discussion with a number of companies and bodies representing business interests, including the British Retail Consortium and the Ethical Trading Initiative, on the voluntary approach to addressing human rights abuses in the supply chains of large UK companies. Our action on tackling slavery in supply chains is consistent with our commitment on business and human rights as set out in our National Action Plan.

Answered by:
Sir David Lidington (Conservative)
5 September 2014