Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department are taking steps to mandate the introduction of (a) human rights and (b) environmental due diligence measures for companies.

The Government’s approach to due diligence is one of both encouraging and supporting a business-led approach. This, in turn, promotes standards as set out in international frameworks, such as the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Additionally, and in order to tackle illegal deforestation in UK supply chains, the Environment Act has introduced world-leading due diligence legislation.

The Department will soon be launching a review of non-financial information through a call for evidence. The review is part of the Government’s wider effort to improve business regulation to reduce burdens and drive economic growth now that the UK has left the European Union. With that in mind the Government currently has no plans to legally mandate companies to conduct further due diligence assessments before considering existing reporting requirements. We will however continue to keep these issues under review.