Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had discussions with (a) tea industry representatives, (b) Fairtrade organisations and (c) international partners on ensuring that tea (i) farmers and (ii) other workers receive a living wage in (A) Kenya and (B) other producing countries.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
No, we have had no such specific discussions, but we actively engage with Kenyan counterparts and remain committed to promoting fair trade and workers' rights, including decent working conditions and living wages.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to hold discussions with the (a) Fairtrade Foundation and (b) other stakeholders on the fair treatment of workers around the world.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to working closely with international labour organisations, including the Fairtrade Foundation, to advance free and fair trade around the world that is inclusive, sustainable and reduces poverty.
Lord Collins' priority of championing equal rights for all extends to workers globally and is reflected in our work with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to promote more and better jobs for workers globally, including raising workers' rights issues, and promoting equal pay for equal work for women. The Government acts globally to prevent forced labour in supply chains, including, for example, by supporting reform of labour migration policies in South East Asia to ensure fair treatment of migrant workers.
Many female dominated sectors include precarious, informal and isolated work. The UK is pressing for better representation and leadership within union movements, including for paid care workers. The UK's new Trade Centre of Expertise will build the capacity of producers, businesses and governments in developing countries to participate in and prosper from global trade.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his trade strategy will support the aims of the Fairtrade movement.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The UK Government is committed to advancing free and fair trade around that world that is inclusive, sustainable and reduces poverty.
We remain committed to engaging civil society as we develop the new Trade Strategy.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June to Question 186759 on House of Commons: Fairtrade Initiative, if the Commission will make it its policy to record details of all the Fairtrade branded products purchased by Catering Services.
Answered by Charles Walker
Procurement standards for catering contracts include minimum ethical criteria and the Administration does not plan to keep a record of the scheme relating to each product due to the volume and range of goods purchased.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will publish a list of all items purchased by the House authorities for use on the parliamentary estate that carry the Fairtrade accreditation.
Answered by Charles Walker
Catering Services at the House of Commons does not currently record details of all the Fairtrade branded products it purchases. Fairtrade is only one of a number of ethical trading schemes that exist within the food and beverage sectors. Catering Services procurement set minimum ethical criteria pertinent to the category and strong environmental and social commitments with all suppliers demonstrating that they operate to those standards via recognised third-party accreditation.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will make it its policy to ensure that all tea and coffee served on the parliamentary estate has Fairtrade accreditation.
Answered by Charles Walker
All fresh coffee served is Fairtrade certified.
100% of our tea is certified under the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP) scheme. For black tea and by value, 85% of the tea we purchase carries Fairtrade accreditation. The remainder is either Rainforest Alliance or UTZ certified.
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, whether he has met with representatives of the the Fairtrade Foundation to discuss farming support for people in poverty in developing countries in the last 12 months.
Answered by David Rutley
The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development has not yet met with representatives of the Fairtrade Foundation. The FCDO works with organisations like Fairtrade Foundation through its agriculture portfolio, which contains programmes that are designed to support farmers in the most vulnerable countries. For example, with UK International Climate Finance (ICF), we are supporting the Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness programme (CASA), the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP), and other agriculture interventions. Officials have consulted Fairtrade Foundation and other sector stakeholders and welcome the opportunity to continue to do so as our work evolves.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to ensure that all fruit provided to children in state schools through the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme has Fairtrade accreditation.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
Suppliers of fruit and vegetables to the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme are required to adhere to all elements of United Kingdom law. They are required to supply produce which meets Government fresh fruit and vegetable marketing standards, and the standards set for the Red Tractor food assurance scheme for UK sourced foods, or Globalgap, the international equivalent for fruit and vegetables sourced from outside the UK.
An assessment of relevant accreditation programmes such as Fairtrade is undertaken as part of the procurement process to source the fruit, vegetables and related services for the Scheme. The current supply frameworks will run until the end of July 2024, and the merits of using a range of potential accreditations, including Fairtrade, will be considered as part of the next procurement.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what food standards are applied to fruit and vegetables sourced for children through the School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme; and whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring that food supplied through the scheme meets fair-trade standards.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
Suppliers of fruit and vegetables to the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme are required to adhere to all elements of United Kingdom law. They are required to supply produce which meets Government fresh fruit and vegetable marketing standards and the standards set for the Red Tractor food assurance scheme for UK sourced foods, or Globalgap, the international equivalent for fruit and vegetables sourced from outside the UK.
An assessment of relevant accreditation programmes such as Fairtrade is undertaken as part of the procurement process to source the fruit, vegetables and related services for the Scheme. The current supply frameworks will run until the end of July 2024, and the merits of using a range of potential accreditations, including Fairtrade, will be considered as part of the next procurement.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Fairtrade farmers and workers are considered in the Government’s trade policy.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The Department for International Trade (DIT) works closely with a wide range of stakeholders, including trade unions, trade for development NGOs and the Fairtrade Foundation – whose CEO sits on DIT’s Strategic Trade Advisory Group – to understand fully the interests of Fairtrade farmers and workers, and seeks to negotiate outcomes that support fair treatment of workers around the world.