Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 46
In addition, we call on the Government to report to the Committee on the feasibility...
Recommendation
In addition, we call on the Government to report to the Committee on the feasibility and legal basis of further measures in respect of supply chains linked to Xinjiang, including i) a whitelist of companies that have taken significant and clearly evidenced actions regarding their supply chain links to Xinjiang, and ii) a blacklist of firms that have failed to provide evidence that they do not have supply chain links to Xinjiang or refuse to answer questions about possible links. These lists should also include companies that secure contracts from the UK Government, and an updated version should be published every six months. Companies that are operating in Xinjiang must prove that they are not in breach of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government will not create the requested public whitelist/blacklist but announced that the FCDO will provide guidance to UK government bodies to exclude suppliers with sufficient evidence of human rights abuses in their supply chains on a case-by-case basis. They also highlighted existing guidance for businesses and a new government-run registry for modern slavery statements.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
46
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted in Part
26. It is important for businesses to adhere to the UN Guiding Principles when considering their approach to modern slavery. Businesses should take heed of the updated Uyghur forced labour in Xinjiang and UK value chains: Government Response 7 Overseas Business Risk (OBR) guidance1 on Xinjiang to understand the human rights risks associated with links to that region and to take appropriate remedial action based on their circumstances. The Government encourages companies to follow both the OECD guidelines2 for multinational enterprises on responsible business conduct and the blueprint laid out in the UN Guiding Principles3 on Business and Human Rights on how to conduct human rights due diligence.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗