Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure British companies and investors in Malawi respect human rights in that country.

UK Trade and Investment has a duty to British businesses to provide them with all of the advice and information they need to succeed in foreign markets. Human rights guidance is a core part of that. The UK National Action Plan for implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, entitled "Good Business", sets out what the Government will do and what it expects of business in respecting human rights throughout their operations.

The Government is working with the Government of Malawi and British companies to encourage greater bilateral trade and investment. In their meetings with British companies in Malawi, officials at the British High Commission in Lilongwe have raised the importance of human rights and corporate responsibility.