Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks made by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel on 21 October (HL Deb, col 252), what steps have they taken to (1) detect, or (2) require others to detect, the prevalence of Xinjiang Cotton in garments (a) manufactured in, or (b) imported into, the UK.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
HM Government have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang. We advise all businesses with Xinjiang supply chain links to conduct appropriate due diligence to satisfy themselves that their activities do not support any violations or abuses.
We have committed to introduce financial penalties for non-compliance with section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act, which asks large businesses to report on how they are tackling forced labour in their operations and supply chains. More widely we are committed to ongoing discussions on cotton and trade related matters at the WTO and continue to update Overseas Business Risk guidance.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received a request from the government of the United States to include access to (1) NHS supplies, and (2) the meat supply market in any future trade arrangements.
Answered by Baroness Fairhead
Until the UK leaves the EU, we are bound by the Duty of Sincere Co-operation with the EU and, as such, the UK not yet entered into any negotiations with the United States on potential future trade agreements.
Protecting the National Health Service (NHS) is of the utmost importance to the UK. The NHS is protected by specific exceptions and reservations in EU trade agreements and as we leave the EU, the UK will continue to ensure that rigorous protections are included in any future trade agreement between the US and the UK.
We have also been clear that any future trade agreements must work for UK producers, businesses, and consumers, and uphold the UK’s high levels of food safety, animal welfare standards, and environmental protection.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Young of Cookham on 28 March (HL6075), when Baroness Mobarik expects to follow up her commitment made in her answer on 24 January (HL Deb, col 551) to provide written information on the percentage of companies in the UK that the Department for International Trade has been dealing with which are owned outside the UK.
Answered by Lord Price
The Department for International Trade supports companies exporting products from the UK. The ownership structure of those companies is not recorded.