Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that companies are legally obliged to prevent (a) human rights abuses and (b) environmental harms in their supply chains.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The UK has a range of measures in place to promote RBC across the economy. In the Trade Strategy, the Government also launched a review into the UK's approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses, modern slavery, and environmental harms in global supply chains.

The review will be a neutral, objective appraisal of policy, led by departmental officials. It will consider the effectiveness of the UK's current regime and alternative means of supporting responsible business practices. To complement the review, the FCDO is conducting a National Baseline Assessment (NBA) on the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to consult tea producers for the review of Responsible Business Conduct.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK's approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses, modern slavery, and environmental harms in global supply chains. Throughout the review, we will harness the insights and expertise of businesses and investors from across the economy, as well as trade unions, academia and civil society.

Stakeholders will also be given the opportunity to feed into the National Baseline Assessment on the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which will run in parallel and inform the review.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the implementation by some NHS Integrated Care Boards of minimum waiting times for elective treatment; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of this on (a) patient choice (b) the ability to meet NHS constitutional access standards.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There is no formal policy supporting minimum waits in the National Health Service. However, the NHS Standard Contract technical guidance for 2025/26 states that commissioners may choose to include minimum waiting times in Activity Planning Assumptions to ensure the delivery of targets within agreed financial allocations. The full guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08a-nhssc-2526-contract-technical-guidance-final.pdf

Patients continue to have a legal right to choose where they go for their first appointment when referred to consultant-led care as an outpatient.

We will work closely with all systems to ensure they deliver the expected level of improvement in waiting times set out in 2025/26 Planning Guidance, which is the first step in delivering on our commitment that by March 2029, 92% of patients wait no longer than the constitutional standard of 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment.

Found: Tuesday 14 January – Thursday 16 January The Chair, Alex Ballinger, Aphra Brandreth, Phil Brickell

Found: Current membership Emily Thornberry (Labour; Islington South and Finsbury) (Chair) Alex Ballinger (Labour

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Alex Ballinger; Aphra Brandreth; Phil Brickell