Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to pages 49-50 of the Survey of the Provision in the UK of Access to Remedies for Victims of Human Rights Harms involving Business Enterprises, by the British Institute for International and Comparative Law, published on 17 July 2015, what assessment he has made of the merits of the report's recommendations to (a) establish a permanent cross-government Business and Human Rights Unit and (b) extend some aspects of UK criminal law legislation to provide access to remedies to victims of human rights abuses by business enterprises overseas.

The Government has no plans to establish a permanent cross-government Business and Human Rights Unit; however, departments continue to cooperate as necessary. Victims of overseas human rights abuses by UK businesses can already seek redress through UK courts. We are one of the few jurisdictions in the world where this can happen.