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Written question asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench) on Thursday, 14 May 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Friday, 29 May 2026. It was answered by Lord Stockwood (Labour) on Friday, 29 May 2026 on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade.

Forced Labour: Supply Chains

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in implementing the recommendations of the Joint Committee on Human Rights report Forced Labour in UK Supply Chains, published on 24 July 2025, in particular its recommendation that Great British Energy and other public buyers "must ensure that solar procurement decisions are made on the basis of independent assessments and not rely solely on the Solar Stewardship Initiative to provide assurance of supply chains”.

Answer

The Government welcomes the recommendations made in the report, Forced Labour in UK Supply Chains. We are taking these into account as we progress the Responsible Business Conduct Review.

We have already taken action in the new Procurement Act to strengthen rules around excluding suppliers linked to modern slavery. Great British Energy (GBE) is establishing its own requirements of partners and will set out further detail over the coming months. While GBE considers the Solar Stewardship Initiative a valuable tool and partner, it is not currently a member.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL80
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Forced labour Procurement Joint Committee on Human Rights Solar power Supply chains Great British Energy
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk