Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he plans to take to ensure that companies are held to account when they fail to prevent (a) human rights abuses and (b) environmental harms in their supply chains.

The UK has a range of measures in place to promote responsible business conduct. In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses and environmental harms in global supply chains.

The review will be a neutral, objective appraisal of policy, led by departmental officials. It will consider the effectiveness of the UK’s current regime and alternative measures to support responsible business practices, including mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence.