Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with (a) the Department for Business and Trade and (b) his counterpart in the Thai government on the issue of labour rights in Thai factories used by British companies.

The UK Government is clear that it expects all UK businesses to respect human rights throughout their operations, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. In 2015, we introduced the Modern Slavery Act, which requires businesses with a turnover of £36 million or more to publish an annual modern slavery statement stating the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains.

The Foreign Secretary has not discussed the labour rights of garment workers in Thailand with the Department of Business and Trade or with his Thai counterpart. The British Ambassador to Thailand has raised this issue at senior levels of the Royal Thai Government.