Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with Dyson on the prevention and remediation of modern slavery in their supply chains.

The Home Office has not engaged in discussions with Dyson on the prevention and remediation of modern slavery in their supply chains.

Section 54 of the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires businesses operating in the UK with a turnover of £36m or more to report annually on the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. The landmark ‘Transparency in Supply Chains’ provisions in the Modern Slavery Act are helping to change business culture, spotlighting modern slavery risks on boardroom agendas and within the international human rights community.

The prevalence of modern slavery and complexity of global supply chains means that it is highly unlikely that any sector or company is immune from the risks of modern slavery. The Home Office’s statutory guidance on producing modern slavery statements recommends that statements should include the risk assessment and due diligence organisations undertook to prevent and tackle modern slavery. The statutory guidance also includes information on how companies should respond to an incidence of suspected modern slavery by taking a tailored approach that would produce the safest outcome for potential victims. We recognise, however, there is more to do to keep businesses focused on this important issue.

The Government is currently reviewing its Modern Slavery Strategy and will consider whether there are further opportunities to enhance our approach to transparency in supply chains.