Xinjiang: Human Rights

(asked on 2nd March 2021) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their announcement on 12 January about the introduction of measures to help ensure that UK organisations are not complicit in, nor profiting from, human rights violations in Xinjiang, what progress they have made in (1) seeking to amend the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to introduce financial penalties for organisations which do not publish annual modern slavery statements, and (2) ensuring that UK organisations are not complicit in, nor profiting from, the human rights violations in Xinjiang, in particular within the cotton industry.


Answered by
 Portrait
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This question was answered on 12th March 2021

The implementation of the measures announced by the Foreign Secretary on 12 January in respect of Xinjiang is underway. Her Majesty's Government's Overseas Business Risk guidance was updated on the day of the announcement, providing detailed written guidance to UK businesses investing in, or with supply chains in, Xinjiang. The Government has also launched a programme of proactive engagement with UK organisations to support them in ensuring they are not contributing to human rights abuses in Xinjiang. The review of export controls as they apply to Xinjiang is in progress, and Parliament will be updated once it has been completed. The introduction of financial penalties under the Modern Slavery Act will require primary legislation, which will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.

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