Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to hold companies accountable in the event that they fail to prevent harm in their supply chains, including through liability provisions.

The UK has a strong record on human rights and environmental awareness and protection, much of which results from our framework of legislation. This includes the promotion of due diligence by holding businesses to account on human rights and environmental matters.

In certain circumstances, companies can already be held liable at law for breaches of duties of care to others where harm is suffered as a foreseeable consequence of the breach.

The Companies Act 2006 includes the need for Public Interest Entities with 500 or more employees to describe its business relationships which are likely to cause adverse impacts, and how it manages risks arising from matters such as environmental considerations and human rights.