Protective Clothing: Imports

(asked on 14th September 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports in The Diplomat on 14 September, what assessment they have made of the alleged use of forced labour in Malaysian disposable glove factories; and what due diligence they carried out in relation to the use of forced labour before purchasing disposable gloves from Malaysian companies earlier this year.


Answered by
Lord Kamall Portrait
Lord Kamall
This question was answered on 7th October 2021

To date, there have been no substantiated allegations of modern slavery in relation to a Departmental supplier. All the suppliers on our current gloves framework are registered and have been asked to complete a Modern Slavery Assessment and a Labour Standards Assessment.

Due diligence is carried out for all Government contracts and we expect all National Health Service suppliers to follow the highest legal and ethical standards. Public sector contracting authorities are advised on how to assess suppliers to mitigate the risk of modern slavery. Contracts are placed in line with Departmental terms and conditions which include clauses requiring Good Industry Practice to ensure that there is no slavery or human trafficking in supply chains. Suppliers appointed to NHS Supply Chain frameworks must comply with the Labour Standards Assurance System or they can be removed from consideration for future opportunities.

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