Asked by: Martin Rhodes (Labour - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the United Nations' framework entitled Protect, respect and remedy and the United Nations document entitled Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, published in June 2011, what steps his Department is taking to fulfil the UK’s duty to (a) protect against business-related human rights abuses in supply chains and (b) provide access to remedy for victims of such abuses.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UK has a range of measures in place to promote responsible business conduct (RBC) across the economy. The Government expects all UK companies to respect human rights, workers’ rights and the environment throughout their operations and supply chains in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for RBC.
In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to RBC, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses, modern slavery, and environmental harms in global supply chains. The FCDO will also be carrying out a National Baseline Assessment (NBA) on the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to inform this review.
We have also established the Office for RBC, to replace the UK's National Contact Point. This enhanced office will support industry to integrate responsible business practices and help victims of corporate malpractice through continuing to operate a non-judicial complaints mechanism for alleged violations of the OECD Guidelines.
Asked by: Martin Rhodes (Labour - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to help tackle (a) exploitative and (b) environmentally unsustainable purchasing practices in the tea sector.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UK has a range of measures in place to promote responsible business conduct across the economy. The Government also supports voluntary due diligence approaches taken by UK businesses to identify and prevent human rights abuses and environmental harms across their operations, purchasing practices and supply chains, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
We will continue to assess and monitor the effectiveness of these existing measures, alongside the impacts of new policy tools, to ensure we can best promote responsible business practices and take action where appropriate.
Asked by: Martin Rhodes (Labour - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with which stakeholders will his Department consult on its proposed trade strategy, and what timeframe that consultation will follow.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Department recognises that stakeholder engagement is vital in developing the Trade Strategy. We have conducted targeted business engagement across the UK, including an open call for views from industry, civil society organisations, and academia. Stakeholders submitted views via a dedicated Trade Strategy mailbox, which closed on 17 January 2025, generating over 200 submissions. We will maintain engagement to ensure stakeholder views are heard as we develop and deliver a Trade Strategy for the whole of the UK.