Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals on mandatory human rights and environmental standards for multinational companies in the UK.

The Government supports the current voluntary approach to human rights and environmental standards for multinational companies in the UK; as set out in international frameworks such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises. Whilst the Government keeps this approach under review, including discussions with business where requested, we currently have no plans to bring forward legislative proposals to make changes to the current system.