Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to include details of the global fashion industry and supply chains in the National Curriculum.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department will not be making any changes to the national curriculum for the remainder of this Parliament to provide stability for schools, and enable them to remain focused on recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and teaching the broad and rich curriculum.
Over the past decade, the department has reformed the national curriculum to set world-class standards across all subjects. Programmes of study are flexible enough for teachers to be able to add their own content – including taking account of new developments, societal changes, or topical issues, such as global fashion and supply chains – without there being a need for the department to review the national curriculum.
An example of this could be the teaching of textiles in design and technology (D&T). D&T is compulsory in state-maintained schools from key stage 1 to 3 and pupils in maintained schools also have an entitlement to study D&T in key stage 4. The national curriculum is a framework, designed to give teachers the freedom and flexibility to go into greater depth and cover additional topics, such as details of the global fashion industry and supply chains, as they wish, according to the needs of their pupils. The use of textiles is encouraged in the D&T programme of study, though this is non-statutory guidance.
The department believes it vital that young people are taught about global issues such as sustainability and climate change. Topics related to these are covered in the national curriculum, which are mandatory in all state-maintained school, such as the science and geography curricula and GCSEs. For example, secondary geography includes the study of the climate, how human and physical processes interact to influence and change landscapes, environments and the climate. Citizenship education, which has been a compulsory subject in maintained schools since 2002, also covers contents on global issues, such as the environment. Furthermore, the department introduced a new environmental science A level in 2017. This will enable pupils to study topics that will support their understanding of the global issues, such as climate change.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the treatment of women in overseas factories producing clothes for the UK market.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The Government is clear that it expects all UK businesses to respect human rights throughout their operations, in line with the UN Guiding Principles and the UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. This also applies to the fashion industry. Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act places a requirement on businesses with a turnover of £36 million or more, to publish an annual modern slavery statement setting out the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. Additionally, we announced in 2021 that financial penalties for non-compliance would be introduced. These measures will be included in the Modern Slavery Bill that was announced as part of the Queen's Speech in May 2022.
We know that women and girls are most at risk of modern slavery, making up approximately 70% of victims. Our work overseas seeks to support women and girls, including in the overseas garment sector. The "Work in Freedom" programme works to reduce vulnerability to trafficking and forced labour of women and girls who want to work in the care, textiles, clothing, leather and footwear sectors in South Asia and the Arab States. This programme has reached over 380,000 women and girls since 2018.
The UK's Presidency of the G7 in 2021 and the resulting commitments from G7 members to tackle forced labour in global supply chains, demonstrated our continued commitment to ending modern slavery.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure UK fashion brands are not complicit in exploitative labour practices in their overseas supply chain.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The Government is clear that it expects all UK businesses to respect human rights throughout their operations, in line with the UN Guiding Principles and the UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. This also applies to the fashion industry. Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act places a requirement on businesses with a turnover of £36 million or more, to publish an annual modern slavery statement setting out the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. Additionally, we announced in 2021 that financial penalties for non-compliance would be introduced. These measures will be included in the Modern Slavery Bill that was announced as part of the Queen's Speech in May 2022.
We know that women and girls are most at risk of modern slavery, making up approximately 70% of victims. Our work overseas seeks to support women and girls, including in the overseas garment sector. The "Work in Freedom" programme works to reduce vulnerability to trafficking and forced labour of women and girls who want to work in the care, textiles, clothing, leather and footwear sectors in South Asia and the Arab States. This programme has reached over 380,000 women and girls since 2018.
The UK's Presidency of the G7 in 2021 and the resulting commitments from G7 members to tackle forced labour in global supply chains, demonstrated our continued commitment to ending modern slavery.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to work with partners abroad to improve workplace rights for people employed in the fashion industry.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The Government is clear that it expects all UK businesses to respect human rights throughout their operations, in line with the UN Guiding Principles and the UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. This also applies to the fashion industry. Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act places a requirement on businesses with a turnover of £36 million or more, to publish an annual modern slavery statement setting out the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. Additionally, we announced in 2021 that financial penalties for non-compliance would be introduced. These measures will be included in the Modern Slavery Bill that was announced as part of the Queen's Speech in May 2022.
We know that women and girls are most at risk of modern slavery, making up approximately 70% of victims. Our work overseas seeks to support women and girls, including in the overseas garment sector. The "Work in Freedom" programme works to reduce vulnerability to trafficking and forced labour of women and girls who want to work in the care, textiles, clothing, leather and footwear sectors in South Asia and the Arab States. This programme has reached over 380,000 women and girls since 2018.
The UK's Presidency of the G7 in 2021 and the resulting commitments from G7 members to tackle forced labour in global supply chains, demonstrated our continued commitment to ending modern slavery.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Your Party - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take to (a) reduce textiles waste in the UK, (b) improve the environmental sustainability of materials and production processes used in the production of textiles sold in the UK, (c) tackle exploitative labour practices used in the supply chains of textiles sold in the UK, (d) tackle lack of access to clothing in the context of the rise in the cost of living and (e) support consumers to make sustainable clothing choices.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The Government’s Resources & Waste Strategy for England identified textiles as a priority sector for action. We fund Textiles 2030, a voluntary partnership with industry to reduce the environmental impact of textiles, with signatories covering over 62% of all clothing put on the UK market. This programme is underpinned by ambitious science-based targets, including halving the carbon footprint of new products and reducing the water footprint by 30%, both by 2030.
Our landmark Environment Act 2021 provides general powers to introduce Extended Producer Responsibility schemes, design standards and require information on the resource efficiency of products, which will enable us to act more effectively
With those powers in mind, we are considering what wider framework of policy measures could best help reduce the environmental footprint of fashion and building our evidence base. This could include options to reduce waste through increased producer responsibility for goods at end of life, measures to drive increased reuse and longevity of garments as well as better product design and information standards to support consumers to make the most environmentally friendly choice.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the fashion industry to encourage major fashion outlets to take part in voluntary initiatives including (a) the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan and (b) Textiles 2030 over the last two years.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Government worked closely with WRAP on the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP) 2020 and to develop and launch the ambitious new voluntary agreement, Textiles 2030
Building on the success of SCAP, Textiles 2030 was launched in April 2021 and we are pleased that within six months 92 signatories have joined, including ASOS, Boohoo, Dunelm, John Lewis, M&S, New Look, Next, Primark, Sainsbury’s, Ted Baker and Tesco. 62% of all clothing put on the UK market is represented by Textiles 2030 members. The new initiative is underpinned by ambitious targets including halving the carbon footprint of new products by 50% and reducing the water footprint by 30%, both by 2030.
Defra ministers have been proactively engaging with industry to drive participation in both SCAP (now closed) and now Textiles 2030. This included chairing a roundtable with industry in February 2021 ahead of the launch of Textiles 2030 and events to mark the 6-month celebration of Textiles 2030 and closing of SCAP in October last year.
We are now working closely with Textiles 2030 to support our policy development.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to improve transparency in the fashion supply chain by (a) providing the information on clothing labels or (b) other steps to allow consumers to easily access information on a garment's carbon footprint when making a purchase.
Answered by Jo Churchill
In the Government’s Resources & Waste Strategy we committed to provide consumers with better information on products when they purchase items, such as textiles and clothing. Our draft Waste Prevention Programme for England published in March 2021 identified textiles as one of seven key sectors for action and outlined the steps we are taking to improve information.
Through our landmark Environment Act 2021 we have powers to require better information on the resource efficiency of products to enable informed consumer choice.
We will be assessing options this year on what type of information would best support more sustainable purchasing decisions for textiles products, before making decisions. We are also providing funding to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to update their environmental footprint modelling tool later this year, working with industry signatories to the Textiles 2030 scheme. This will increase the level, availability and transparency of data relating to carbon emissions across the life cycle of garments.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to widen the representation of the fashion industry on the DCMS-led working group on touring.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
The Touring Working Group was set up at the beginning of 2021 to help the creative and cultural sectors understand and adapt to new requirements following the UK's exit from the EU.
Membership of the Working Group includes the British Fashion Council, and we encourage all members of the working group to reach out to others to ensure that it hears and understands the views from across all the sectors it represents.
We have published a specific page on gov.uk to help the fashion sector navigate the guidance available online, and provide clarity regarding the practical steps that need to be taken by UK fashion professionals working in the EU.
The Government has also engaged with representatives of the fashion industry specifically on EU customs and export issues, through the Brexit Business Taskforce on Fashion and Textiles, chaired by Lord Frost in May, two of DIT’s Trade Advisory Groups, and a seminar jointly organised with the British Fashion Council.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the just-in-time nature of the fashion creative business model.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government recognises fashion businesses rely on smooth and efficient supply chains and we are taking action through industry engagement, including through a new Cabinet Committee on logistics. At present the position for UK freight is more positive than other locations globally who have experienced continued severe difficulties. We are continuing to work with the freight sector, including ports such as Felixstowe, to manage the impacts of a surge in container demand and HGV driver shortages.
My Hon. Friend the Minister for Small Business, Labour Markets and Consumers holds regular roundtables with the consumer goods manufacturing sector, including the UK Fashion and Textiles Association and British Footwear Association, and Lord frost has chaired the Brexit Business Taskforce on fashion and textiles in May to fully understand the sector’s concerns.
On 1 October, the Government launched the Export Support Service (ESS) - a single telephone helpline and digital enquiry service that will help British businesses export to Europe. It brings together information from across Government, making it easier for exporters to find what they need in one place. ESS will simplify and improve access to guidance for businesses, especially small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
High Value Manufacturing Catapult UK provides support for both SMEs to help develop, de-risk and support the journey of bringing new innovations to market and improve productivity; and large businesses who seek to investigate innovative technologies or scale-up new products or processes. From April 2021 until the end of March 2023, manufacturing companies can claim 130% capital allowances on qualifying plant and machinery investments. Under the super-deduction, for every pound a manufacturer invests, their taxes are cut by up to 25p.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they plan to have with the devolved administrations to agree a four-nation approach to broadening skills in the fashion and textiles sectors.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Skills provision is a devolved matter. It is for each nation to develop its own skills policies to meet local and national need. In England, we have introduced a range of skills polices and also published the ‘Skills for Jobs’ White Paper in January 2021, which sets out our blueprint to reform post-16 education and training. It is focused on giving people the skills they need, in a way that suits them, so they can get great jobs in sectors the economy needs and boost this country’s productivity. By 2030, almost all technical courses will be on employer-led standards, ensuring that the education and training people receive are directly linked to the skills needed for jobs.
Our polices and reforms are aimed at delivering high-quality provision across a range of sectors, including fashion and textiles.
The introduction of T Levels will boost access to high quality technical education for thousands of 16-19 year olds. T Levels in Craft and Design, developed by relevant employers including the British Fashion Council and UK Fashion & Textile Association, will be available for first teaching from September 2023. While T Levels are currently an England only offer, we are exploring the possibility of extending T Levels outside of the English market, giving opportunity to other administrations to benefit from the quality and ingenuity of T Levels where this fits with their overall post-16 provision
We are also committed to supporting more people to benefit from the high quality training that apprenticeships offer, including those at the start of their career or those looking to retrain. The department is responsible for apprenticeships policy in England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland receive a share of levy funding and it is the responsibility of the devolved administrations to decide how they spend this share to fund and operate their apprenticeship programmes.
In England there are currently 54 high quality employer-designed apprenticeship standards available for the creative and design sector, including 6 for fashion related opportunities. As of 3 August, we have introduced a £7 million fund to help employers in England set up flexi-job apprenticeships agencies, to support sectors such as agriculture, construction and the creative industries.
The government is investing £3 billion in the National Skills Fund, which includes £500 million in Barnett funding for the devolved administrations. We have not had any discussions with the devolved nations about a joint approach to broadening skills in the fashion and textiles sectors through the National Skills Fund, but in England, the government is supporting any adult who does not have A level equivalent or higher qualifications, to access over 400 fully funded level 3 courses, with Free Courses for Jobs. The offer includes qualifications that can support adults to progress in the fashion and textiles industry.