Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether he plans to incorporate living income as defined by the Living Income Community of Practice into the Government’s business and human rights policies; and what steps he will take to incorporate fair prices into his policies to deliver improved human rights in supply chains.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The Department for International Development (DFID) is a long-term supporter of the ISEAL Alliance, the umbrella organisation for standards systems such as Fairtrade and one of the founding members of the Living Income Community of Practice. We support efforts that work towards a living income in global supply chains.
The UK was the first country to produce a National Action Plan for the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, demonstrating a high level of commitment that will feed into any future trade policy. We are committed to upholding the UK’s values, including around labour standards, and will consider the full range of mechanisms available in the design of future trade and investment agreements.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether he is taking steps to support a global initiative of Governments and businesses to ensure that workers in (a) cocoa and (b) other supply chains receive a living income; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
One of the keys to driving poverty reduction is enabling workers in global supply chains to be paid a living wage. The UK works with Governments, businesses and other actors to advance this agenda. For example, the Department for International Development (DFID) supports the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), which works with companies such as the Body Shop, Co-op and Tesco, as well as trade unions. The UK also supports initiatives such as the UN Global Compact (UNGC), the world’s largest business sustainability initiative, which focuses partly on labour rights and has over 12,000 signatories from over 160 countries.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of chocolate products sold in (a) shops, (b) vending machines, and (c) kiosks located within her Department are certified as Fairtrade.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
Across both DFID headquarters in Abercrombie House and Whitehall, fair trade sales accounts for approximately 60% of all chocolate sold across their restaurants, coffee shop and vending machines.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage businesses throughout the UK to purchase Fairtrade products.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The UK government is a strong supporter of the Fairtrade movement, which plays an important role in helping producers around the world improve their lives through receiving fair prices for their products. Between 2010 and 2018, the Department for International Development invested over £20.2m into Fairtrade.
DFID has funded the development of Fairtrace, a technology-based supply chain mapping tool which has helped Fairtrade to broaden their commercial customer base. The tool has been used by major UK businesses such as The Co-op and Ben & Jerry’s. In 2017, Fairtrace helped 7 major brands to map their supply chains; illustrating journeys from over 191 producer groups in over 23 countries.
The UK government will continue to champion this agenda as part of our commitment to improving the lives of smallholder farmers and to a free, fair and transparent trade system that helps lifts developing countries out of poverty.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the form of the consultation with local authorities will be on the planned indicators to measure progress on Sustainable Development Goal 5 for the Voluntary National Review in 2019.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
Work on developing the UK’s 2019 Voluntary National Review is ongoing. We will be drawing on a range of sources, including:
We will continue to consult with a range of key stakeholders as we finalise our plans, including launching an online consultation to ensure we capture a wide range of views and inputs.