Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 22
22
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 45
Trade commissioners, envoys, and officers should be equipped with regularly updated toolkits and training to...
Recommendation
Trade commissioners, envoys, and officers should be equipped with regularly updated toolkits and training to ensure they are fully informed of the forced labour risk associated with the countries in which they are working. This should be supported by a public Government-led grading system of countries’ adherence to global labour standards as set by institutions like the International Labour Organization.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government accepts the recommendation to provide a one-day training course on forced labour for Trade Envoys and officials, but rejects the proposal for a government-led grading system, stating this role is best for specialist organisations.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
45
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted in Part
We thank the Committee for this recommendation, and in response we agree to producing, and running regularly, a specific one-day training course on forced labour open to all Trade Envoys and officials, including those based in regions that could be linked to potential forced labour in Xinjiang. However, the Government believes that the role of monitoring countries’ adherence to global labour standards is best conducted by specialist organisations, such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development (OECD). The UK works closely with these organisations, including in relation to forced labour (see response to Recommendation 27).
Read the full response on Parliament ↗