Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the BBC Eye Investigation televised on 2 December 2024, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Tesco, (b) Waitrose, (c) Asda and (b) Morrisons on product labelling.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is responsible for general product labelling on food products and the Department for Business and Trade works closely with them on this issue.
The Government has high standards regarding the information provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food they buy. No company in the UK should have forced labour in its supply chain. The Government expects businesses to respect human rights and the environment throughout their supply chain in line with the OECD Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct, the UN Guiding Principles, and the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
I have written to the supermarkets concerned to request a full account of the allegations raised in the BBC Panorama documentary and the steps they are taking to investigate.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October to Question 6252 on Forced Labour, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of potential steps he can take to help prevent goods from entering the UK market where there is evidence of forced labour in particular supply chains.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government will continue to assess and monitor the effectiveness of the UK’s existing measures, alongside the impacts of other policy tools. As set out in my response of 10 October 2024, this Government is committed to working with businesses and international partners to ensure global supply chains are free from human and labour rights abuses and to understand the impact of measures used to combat forced labour.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals equivalent to the (a) US Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act, (b) EU Corporate sustainability due diligence directive and (c) EU forced labour regulation.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to working with international partners and businesses to ensure global supply chains are free from environmental harms, and human and labour rights abuses. No UK company should have these in their supply chains.
The Government is reviewing the detail and implementation of the EU’s Forced Labour Regulation and its Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, as well the US’s Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act, and will continue to engage with our European and US partners to understand how we best tackle environmental harms, modern slavery and forced labour in supply chains.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what her Department's planned timescale is for the review of banana tariffs.
Answered by Greg Hands
The UK-Andean Countries Trade Agreement is due to commence in summer 2024. The agreement does not commit the UK to any further liberalisation of the market.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many and what proportion of company registrations with Companies House were reported as fraudulent in 2022.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Companies House currently does not have a dedicated fraud allegation reporting route and does not hold data on alleged fraudulent company registrations.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential preference erosion impact of accession to CPTPP; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
As part of the UK’s negotiations to accede to CPTPP the Government carefully considered the impact on developing countries, seeking to achieve a careful balance between supporting developing country economies and reducing poverty through trade, while protecting the interests of UK businesses and consumers.
Alongside our FTA negotiations, the Government is continuing to use our independent trade policy to introduce the Developing Trading Scheme – one of the most generous trading preference schemes in the world aimed at helping countries develop through trade.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of tariff liberalisation for palm oil imports on deforestation in palm oil supplying countries; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of seeking a side letter with Malaysia to make tariff preferences contingent on environmental criteria.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
Existing tariffs on palm oil from Malaysia are already low, and the Government's focus is on working with countries like Malaysia to support the sustainable production of palm oil, rather than seeking to stop palm oil entering the UK market altogether. It is encouraging that 72% of UK imports of palm oil were certified as sustainable in 2021, up from 16% in 2010, and that deforestation related to palm oil in Malaysia has fallen by 60% since 2012 (in the latest available figures - 2018).
CPTPP provides the opportunity to strengthen cooperation with CPTPP members in addressing deforestation, and at accession we will publish a joint statement with Malaysia setting out our shared commitment to work together to promote sustainable production of commodities and protect forests.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government plans to remove import tariffs on Malaysian palm oil in connection with negotiations over UK membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
Following the substantial conclusion of negotiations on the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), I can confirm that the UK’s import tariffs for palm oil duties for all CPTPP Parties will be eliminated at entry into force of the UK’s accession to CPTPP.