Forced labour in UK value chains
Business and Trade Committee
Closed
Inquiry
The BEIS Committee is holding an inquiry which will explore the extent to which business in the UK are exploiting the forced labour of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region of China. The Committee will investigate the risks that UK based businesses face when engaging supply chains that originate in China …
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10
Recommendations
7
Conclusions
1
Report
1
Oral session
22
Letters
1
Event
Activity timeline 25 events
8 Jul
2021
2021
14 Jun
2021
2021
10 Jun
2021
2021
10 Jun
2021
2021
27 Apr
2021
2021
27 Apr
2021
2021
27 Apr
2021
2021
17 Mar
2021
2021
Report published
11 Dec
2020
2020
5 Nov
2020
2020
Oral evidence
16 Oct
2020
2020
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
5 Nov 2020
View on parliament.uk
Forced labour in UK value chains
Andrew Reaney · boohoo group
David Sävman · H&M Group
Elizabeth Kanter · TikTok
Hendrik Alpen · H&M Group
Jaycee Pribulsky · Nike
Maajid Nawaz · Quilliam International
Michael Warren · Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Paul Scully MP · Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Sean Cady · VF Corporation
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fifth Report - Uyghur forced labour in Xinjiang and UK value cha… | HC 1272 | 17 Mar 2021 | 17 | Responded |
Recommendations & Conclusions
6 results
9
Conclusion
Accepted
Fifth Report - Uyghur forced labou…
The Transparency in Supply Chains legislation in the Modern Slavery Act was important when it...
The Transparency in Supply Chains legislation in the Modern Slavery Act was important when it was first introduced, but it has not kept pace with changes in business supply chains. The Modern Slavery Act is out of date, has no …
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Government Response
The government defends the pioneering nature of the Modern Slavery Act but acknowledges the need for improvement, stating it committed to strengthening the legislation in September 2020. It reiterates its expectation for businesses to be vigilant and conduct due diligence.
Department for Business and Trade
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10
Conclusion
Accepted
Fifth Report - Uyghur forced labou…
The Department’s commitment to working with other ministries to strengthen the Modern Slavery Act and...
The Department’s commitment to working with other ministries to strengthen the Modern Slavery Act and Transparency in Supply Chain legislation is welcome. However, there is little evidence that BEIS-specific issues around corporate governance and audit regulations are being given sufficient …
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Government Response
The government notes this conclusion and details actions taken or planned to address corporate governance and audit regulations, including working with the Home Office on Modern Slavery Act enforcement, publishing a White Paper consultation on audit, and planning to legislate on corporate transparency.
Department for Business and Trade
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14
Recommendation
Accepted
Fifth Report - Uyghur forced labou…
We recommend that the Department, in collaboration with the FCDO and DIT, fully assess the...
We recommend that the Department, in collaboration with the FCDO and DIT, fully assess the options for introducing targeted sanctions against Chinese and international businesses implicated in human rights abuses and the exploitation of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. (Paragraph 68) BEIS …
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Government Response
The government states that it has already imposed asset freezes and travel bans against those responsible for human rights violations in Xinjiang on March 22, and announced a review into export controls on January 12.
Department for Business and Trade
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15
Conclusion
Accepted
Fifth Report - Uyghur forced labou…
We were disappointed that the information provided by the Minister about the deployment of BEIS...
We were disappointed that the information provided by the Minister about the deployment of BEIS Department ODA funding in China only gave a high-level overview of the various research and training programmes taking place in China under the umbrella of …
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Government Response
The government agrees transparency is important for ODA funding in China and states its commitment to improving data management. It highlights existing measures, including a 'Good' transparency score, new data systems, and a recent ICAI audit finding its approach robust, which it argues ensures effective oversight.
Department for Business and Trade
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16
Recommendation
Accepted
Fifth Report - Uyghur forced labou…
We recommend that the Department commit to full transparency in terms of its ODA funding...
We recommend that the Department commit to full transparency in terms of its ODA funding being used in China to ensure that no Government funds are being used to underpin human rights abuses. The use of taxpayer funds needs to …
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Government Response
The government agrees on the importance of transparency for ODA funding in China and states it is committed to improving data management. It highlights existing robust measures, including anti-slavery provisions in allocation letters and a recent ICAI audit finding its approach robust, which address the recommendation.
Department for Business and Trade
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17
Recommendation
Accepted
Fifth Report - Uyghur forced labou…
The Department should also publish a comprehensive supply chain review of Newton Fund-supported projects in...
The Department should also publish a comprehensive supply chain review of Newton Fund-supported projects in China and provide the Committee with a full list of the organisations it works with in administering the Newton Fund and the sums of money …
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Government Response
The government agreed on the need for greater transparency and is introducing a new digital data submission tool for Newton Fund partner organisations to report detailed expenditure, individual grants, and awards, which will help address the request for a list of organisations and sums of money.
Department for Business and Trade
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Correspondence 22 letters
8 Jul 2021
To committee
Letter from the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets relating to the Committee's report on Uyghur forced labour in Xinjiang and UK value chains
Parliament page
14 Jun 2021
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to TikTok relating to their invitation to visit TikTok’s Transparency and Accountability Centre
Parliament page
10 Jun 2021
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to the Minister on the Government's response to the Committee's report on Uyghur forced labour in Xinjiang and UK value chains
Parliament page
27 Apr 2021
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to The Walt Disney Company regarding evidence submitted to the Forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
27 Apr 2021
To committee
Letter from The Walt Disney Company to the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP in response to the Committee’s Forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
27 Apr 2021
To committee
Letter from the Corporate Justice Coalition regarding the Committee’s report on Uyghur forced labour in Xinjiang and UK value chains
Parliament page
11 Dec 2020
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Hikvision regarding the Forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
16 Oct 2020
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Stella McCartney regarding the forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
16 Oct 2020
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to The North Face (VF Corporation) regarding the forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
16 Oct 2020
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Nike regarding the forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
16 Oct 2020
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to The Walt Disney Company regarding the forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
16 Oct 2020
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Marks and Spencer regarding the forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
16 Oct 2020
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Zara (Inditex), regarding the forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
16 Oct 2020
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Victoria’s Secret regarding the forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
16 Oct 2020
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Adidas regarding the forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
16 Oct 2020
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Amazon regarding the forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
16 Oct 2020
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to BooHoo Group regarding the forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
16 Oct 2020
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Gap (Gap Inc.) regarding the forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
16 Oct 2020
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to H&M Group regarding the forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
16 Oct 2020
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to IKEA regarding the forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
16 Oct 2020
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to Puma regarding the forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page
16 Oct 2020
To committee
Letter from the Chair and Nusrat Ghani MP to TikTok (ByteDance) regarding the forced labour in UK value chains inquiry
Parliament page