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Companies Bill [Lords]

I am more than happy to praise companies that implement corporate social responsibility. I was in Ghana recently and I met representatives of an organisation called the Blue Skies company, which operates the highest standards for its employees, provides a high quality product and looks after the interests of the local community. The highest profile companies are the most easily monitored by campaigning organisations such as the Trade Justice Movement, Christian Aid and Friends of the Earth, and the media. They, therefore, feel the pressure to improve most keenly. However, thousands of British companies have a multinational impact—far too many for the non-governmental organisations to police, as some suggest as a solution. We need a change in the law and the Bill gives us an opportunity to do that.