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Written Question
Navy: Uniforms
Tuesday 26th September 2023

Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Goldie on 22 June 2022 (HL Deb col 224), what was the result of the inquiries that were made regarding cotton products used by the Royal Navy.

Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)

It is longstanding policy that the use of slave labour is a mandatory exclusion from contracts with the Ministry of Defence; this policy is currently captured within the Procurement Contract Regulations (2015). In line with this policy the current supplier of combat clothing follows a code of practice under which cotton sourced from countries or regions at high risk of forced labour or child labour is prohibited, including the Xinjiang province of China. This is subject to regular review, and inspections of overseas suppliers are performed to ensure adherence to this policy.

Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 22 Jun 2022
Royal Navy: Ships

"Is it not the case that these ships require crews, and that crews require uniforms and other facilities on board for domestic purposes? Therefore, can the Minister give an absolute guarantee that none of the cotton products will include cotton from Xinjiang? It is absolutely fundamental, and I am very …..."
Lord Rooker - View Speech

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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 08 Sep 2021
Sheffield Forgemasters

"My Lords, as an out-of-date chartered engineer, I very much support what the Government have done. However, thinking about the past, is there an absolute guarantee that the management of Sheffield Forgemasters is superior to what it was in 1990, when it was making the supergun but did not know …..."
Lord Rooker - View Speech

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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 20 Jan 2021
Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill

"My Lords, I congratulate the Minister and wish her well in handling the Bill as it goes through the Lords.

Having listened to the vast majority of the speeches today, I have to say that it crossed my mind that it might have been a good idea if the business …..."
Lord Rooker - View Speech

View all Lord Rooker (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 09 Jan 2019
Folic Acid

"To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will commence their consultation on the mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid to prevent foetal abnormalities...."
Lord Rooker - View Speech

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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 09 Jan 2019
Folic Acid

"The Minister knows that the average consultation lasts about 12 weeks. The Government made a very welcome and positive statement on 22 October, but that was 12 weeks ago. Bearing in mind that she cannot answer the Question about the date, the key question that also needs to be answered …..."
Lord Rooker - View Speech

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Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 24 Jan 2017
UK Exports

"What percentage of companies in the UK that the Department for International Trade has been dealing with are owned outside the UK so that the key decisions are made in boardrooms outside this country?..."
Lord Rooker - View Speech

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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 02 Nov 2016
Investigatory Powers Bill

"My Lords, yesterday, I watched the Secretary of State when she delivered the Statement—the first time I have seen her at the Dispatch Box. I did not see the debate later, but I watched the Statement and all the questions on it. I got the impression that she was really …..."
Lord Rooker - View Speech

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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 19 Oct 2016
Investigatory Powers Bill

"Could the noble Lord list the operators to which he referred?..."
Lord Rooker - View Speech

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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 19 Oct 2016
Investigatory Powers Bill

"My Lords, if I could be convinced that the same rules applied everywhere on the globe—because we are talking about a global function—in respect of the rule of law, freedom, transparency and privacy protection, then I might have a bit of sympathy with the business operators, as we will call …..."
Lord Rooker - View Speech

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