Written question asked by David Drew (Labour) on Monday, 22 May 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 24 May 2006. It was answered by Gareth Thomas (Labour) on Tuesday, 6 June 2006 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Child Labour

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the TUC on ways to help eradicate child labour.

Answer: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development meets regularly with the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and representatives of trade unions. However they have not recently discussed the eradication of child labour.DFID is a strong supporter of the elimination of child labour. Trade unions are important partners in this work. They are, for example, actively involved in the International Labour Organisation's programme for the elimination of child labour in Andhra Pradesh, India, which is funded by DFID. They are also active members of the DFID funded Ethical Trading Initiative. This is an organisation in which trade unions work with business and NGOs to ensure the working conditions in companies supplying the UK meet or exceed international labour standards, including eliminating child labour from the work force.

Secondary information