Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many British companies have approached his Department seeking advice on supply chains in China following publication of the G7 Trade Ministers' Communique on 28 May 2021.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government regularly engages with British companies on supply chain matters, including in China. We recommend that British businesses operating in China should make use of the Overseas Business Risk guidance that is published online. That guidance is regularly updated, with the guidance for China being most recently updated in August 2021.
Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what advice his Department has given British companies operating supply chains in Xinjiang in response to President Biden changing import controls by placing Withhold Release Orders against Hoshine Silicon Industry Co. Ltd; and whether his Department is working with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to add new companies to the sanctions list in light of the most recent WRO.
Answered by Paul Scully
All British businesses should take heed of the updated Overseas Business Risk (OBR) guidance on Xinjiang to understand the human rights risks associated with sourcing from that region and to take appropriate remedial action based on their circumstances. The government is engaging businesses to help them understand what this guidance means for them. The Department for International Trade continues to provide practical support to British businesses operating in China, and is happy to answer questions from businesses about this guidance.
On 22 March, my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, announced that the UK has imposed, under our Global Human Rights sanctions regime, asset freezes and travel bans against four Chinese government officials, as well as the Public Security Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the organisation responsible for enforcing the repressive security policies across many areas of Xinjiang. These measures were taken alongside the US, Canada and the EU, sending a clear message to the Chinese Government that the international community will not turn a blind eye to such serious and systematic violations of basic human rights. We keep all evidence and potential listings under close review.
Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many British companies have approached his Department seeking supply chain advice in China since 2017; and how that guidance has changed since 2017.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government regularly engages with British companies on supply chain matters, including in China. We recommend that British businesses operating in China should make use of the Overseas Business Risk guidance that is published online. That guidance is regularly updated, with the guidance for China being most recently updated in March 2021.
Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2021 to Question 1109 on Belt and Road Initiative: China, which Belt and Road Initiative projects the Belt and Road Initiative Strategic Oversight Board is engaging with; within which countries it is engaging with those projects; and with which companies it is engaging with as part of those projects.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Belt and Road Initiative Strategic Oversight Board is not engaging directly with any Belt and Road Initiative projects. The Board provides an oversight function across Government, seeking to ensure UK engagement with the BRI considers the wider spectrum of UK interests, the strategic context, and priorities such as adherence to international standards, particularly with regard to environmental and social issues, debt-sustainability and transparency.
Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whom from his Department attended the attended the retail sector council on Xinjiang in February 2021; whether minutes of that event have been published; and which of the businesses that attended that event are continuing to work in Xinjiang.
Answered by Paul Scully
Revised, detailed Overseas Business Risk guidance was published on 12 January and, based on this new guidance, the Government has embarked on a comprehensive programme of engagement with businesses and UK trade bodies. Businesses should take heed of the updated guidance on Xinjiang to understand the human rights risks associated with sourcing from that region and to take appropriate remedial action based on their circumstances.
On 3 February 2021, I co-chaired a retail sector council meeting. It was attended by representatives from both BEIS and industry, including Amazon, Primark, BIRA, ASOS and HSBC. At the meeting, I raised the issue of Xinjiang and outlined current government advice in relation to Chinese supply chain issues. The minutes for the meeting and list of attendees are available on the Retail Sector Council website (https://retailsectorcouncil.co.uk/retail-sector-council).
In March 2021, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade hosted two roundtables on the issue of forced labour in Xinjiang, which 22 organisations attended. This issue will also be a focus of the Business Against Slavery Forum later this year, which brings together the Home Office with 13 large companies with global supply chains across different sectors.
Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of (a) how many British businesses operate in Xinjiang, China and (b) proportion of those businesses have published Modern Slavery statements.
Answered by Paul Scully
We do not have data setting out trade and investment flows between the UK and individual Chinese provinces. However, we are undertaking some internal analysis to strengthen our evidence base. Businesses can have complex, multi-tiered global supply chains which create significant challenges in having visibility over working conditions throughout the supply chain. This means that companies need to be constantly vigilant in assessing and addressing their risk exposure. We have provided detailed and specific guidance to UK businesses, and we will continue to engage them on this issue.
Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 established the UK as the first country in the world to require businesses to report annually on steps taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. In order to assess compliance rates, the Home Office contracted the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) from September 2019 to January 2020 to undertake an audit of compliance on the Home Office’s behalf. The audit findings on levels of compliance were published on 17 September 2020 in the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s annual report (available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-anti-slavery-commissioners-annual-report-2019-to-2020).
Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what role his Department has in the Belt and Road Initiative Strategic Oversight Board; who the primary lead is for that Board; what the objectives are of that board; who attends meetings of that board and in what capacity; which other (a) Government departments and (b) external individuals attend meetings of that board; how often such meetings take place; who the lead Minister is of those meetings; and whether the board Minutes are published online.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Strategic Oversight Board is a cross-Government coordination mechanism led by senior Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials. Other departments represented on the Board at senior civil service level include HM Treasury, the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Department for International Trade (DIT), the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and the Cabinet Office. Through the Board, the FCDO ensures that other departments considering engagement with projects associated with the BRI are aware of the wider spectrum of UK interests, the strategic context, and priorities such as adherence to international standards. This applies to both engagement with specific BRI projects and to Government activities intended to influence the BRI at a more systemic level. BEIS representatives have attended regarding China’s climate influence through the BRI. The Board meets quarterly or as required. Minutes are not published, reflecting normal practice for internal meetings between civil servants. There are no external or Ministerial attendees.
Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when wedding venues are allowed to resume viewings for prospective couples as part of the reopening during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Paul Scully
The 'Stay at Home' restrictions will be lifted from 29 March, at which point wedding couples will be able to visit venues which are legally open (indoors in household groups, or outdoors following the Rule of 6 or 2 households). The categories of venues that can legally open under each of the Steps are set out in our ‘COVID-19 Response – Spring 2021’ document.
Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Covid-19 Response: Spring 2021 published on 22 February 2021, what steps he is taking to issue guidance to wedding venues in (a) East Sussex and Wealden and (b) England on the date on which those venues can resume showing couples around their premises.
Answered by Paul Scully
BEIS officials and I meet regularly with the industry-led Weddings Taskforce to discuss and take forward the issue of guidance for the reopening of the wedding industry. On 22nd February, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister published the Government’s ‘COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021’. The roadmap is a step-by-step plan to ease restrictions in England cautiously, starting with education. Across the four steps, the roadmap sets out the sequencing and indicative timing for easing restrictions, including those on the wedding sector.
Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Wealden)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support businesses which are threatened with legal action from previous employees affected by asbestosis but which cannot trace any relevant Employer's Liability insurance policy.
Answered by Margot James
The Department does not hold this information. Employer’s Liability insurance is a policy matter for the Department for Work and Pensions.