Examination of witnesses. Committee adjourned till 13 October. Written evidence reported to the House.

Examination of witnesses. Committee adjourned till 13 October. Written evidence reported to the House.

Programme motion agreed to. Written evidence motion agreed to. Motion to sit in private until witnesses admitted agreed to. Examination of witnesses.

Programme motion agreed to. Written evidence motion agreed to. Motion to sit in private until witnesses admitted agreed to. Examination of witnesses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether the Government plans to introduce legislation prohibiting the import into the United Kingdom of goods produced using forced labour, regardless of country of origin.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether the Government plans to introduce legislation prohibiting the import into the United Kingdom of goods produced using forced labour, regardless of country of origin.

Lords motion to take note of the sixth report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights on Forced Labour in UK Supply Chains (HL 159 2024-26). Agreed to on question.

Lords motion to take note of the sixth report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights on Forced Labour in UK Supply Chains (HL 159 2024-26). Agreed to on question.

My Lords, it is an honour to introduce this report from the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Forced Labour in UK Supply Chains. I pay tribute to my hard-working Joint Committee on Human Rights colleagues, two of whom will be speaking in the debate, and to our committee team—its clerks,...

My Lords, it is an honour to introduce this report from the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Forced Labour in UK Supply Chains. I pay tribute to my hard-working Joint Committee on Human Rights colleagues, two of whom will be speaking in the debate, and to our committee team—its clerks,...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Alton, and his committee on this important report and on securing this debate. I add my warm welcome to my noble friend the Minister.

I chaired the House of Lords committee that examined the Modern Slavery Act 2015. It recommended the introduction of...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Alton, and his committee on this important report and on securing this debate. I add my warm welcome to my noble friend the Minister.

I chaired the House of Lords committee that examined the Modern Slavery Act 2015. It recommended the introduction of...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for bringing this debate to the House and I commend the Joint Committee on Human Rights for a report that is both sobering and constructive. Its central conclusion, that goods produced through forced labour are entering UK supply chains,...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for bringing this debate to the House and I commend the Joint Committee on Human Rights for a report that is both sobering and constructive. Its central conclusion, that goods produced through forced labour are entering UK supply chains,...

My Lords, talk about being thrown in at the deep end. My noble friend the Minister was introduced just yesterday and I welcome him to your Lordships’ House and to his post. My noble friend is not a new friend. We first met so long ago that he was probably...

My Lords, talk about being thrown in at the deep end. My noble friend the Minister was introduced just yesterday and I welcome him to your Lordships’ House and to his post. My noble friend is not a new friend. We first met so long ago that he was probably...

My Lords, I declare my interests as an honorary associate professor in the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham, which has done so much work in this area, and as a member of the Great British Energy advisory group on ethical supply chains. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady...

My Lords, I declare my interests as an honorary associate professor in the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham, which has done so much work in this area, and as a member of the Great British Energy advisory group on ethical supply chains. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady...

My Lords, I am grateful to be able to speak in the gap. I join noble Lords in welcoming the noble Lord, Lord Sarwar, to this House, and we look forward to working with him. Given his new responsibility as a Trade Minister, I will ask a question or two....

My Lords, I am grateful to be able to speak in the gap. I join noble Lords in welcoming the noble Lord, Lord Sarwar, to this House, and we look forward to working with him. Given his new responsibility as a Trade Minister, I will ask a question or two....

My Lords, we started the week by giving a Second Reading to the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, and we end it with a debate on the JCHR report. So ethics have permeated the week, as they should, but there is quite a crossover between specific issues as well.

I was not...

My Lords, we started the week by giving a Second Reading to the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, and we end it with a debate on the JCHR report. So ethics have permeated the week, as they should, but there is quite a crossover between specific issues as well.

I was not...

My Lords, let me take this opportunity, first, to welcome the Minister to his place, and, if I may be so bold, to thank the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for securing this debate and introducing it so comprehensively. I do not think that any Member of this House needs persuading...

My Lords, let me take this opportunity, first, to welcome the Minister to his place, and, if I may be so bold, to thank the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for securing this debate and introducing it so comprehensively. I do not think that any Member of this House needs persuading...

I thank noble Lords and I am pleased to respond for the Government. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Alton of Liverpool, for securing this important debate and thank him for the characteristically powerful and principled arguments that he made and for the way in which he continues...

I thank noble Lords and I am pleased to respond for the Government. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Alton of Liverpool, for securing this important debate and thank him for the characteristically powerful and principled arguments that he made and for the way in which he continues...

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Sarwar, in giving one of his first ministerial replies, has acquitted himself with some distinction. It is wonderful to hear a Minister describing himself as impatient, and someone who will look at things with fresh eyes. I also agree strongly with what he just...

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Sarwar, in giving one of his first ministerial replies, has acquitted himself with some distinction. It is wonderful to hear a Minister describing himself as impatient, and someone who will look at things with fresh eyes. I also agree strongly with what he just...

My Lords, I join others in welcoming the Minister to his seat. I hope that he will not mind my sharing that, before his introduction yesterday, we were chuckling that wandering about this place for the first time felt a bit like wandering around Hogwarts. My hope, if I may...

My Lords, I join others in welcoming the Minister to his seat. I hope that he will not mind my sharing that, before his introduction yesterday, we were chuckling that wandering about this place for the first time felt a bit like wandering around Hogwarts. My hope, if I may...

My Lords, I declare that I am co-chair of the parliamentary group on modern slavery and vice-chair of the Human Trafficking Foundation. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 was transformational in its ambitions, but it was a long time ago and much of what came from it has not really been...

My Lords, I declare that I am co-chair of the parliamentary group on modern slavery and vice-chair of the Human Trafficking Foundation. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 was transformational in its ambitions, but it was a long time ago and much of what came from it has not really been...

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for bringing this report and securing this debate. I also thank those who worked on the committee, my noble friend Lady O’Grady for the work her committee has done, and others in this House who are working on this issue. I...

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for bringing this report and securing this debate. I also thank those who worked on the committee, my noble friend Lady O’Grady for the work her committee has done, and others in this House who are working on this issue. I...

My noble friend Lord Alton’s commendable inquiry has shone a light in dark places. Abuses occur beyond first-tier suppliers, affecting women and the environment in particular. It made us think, and his opening speech today will have made us think further.

As the NHS is one of the largest commercial organisations...

My noble friend Lord Alton’s commendable inquiry has shone a light in dark places. Abuses occur beyond first-tier suppliers, affecting women and the environment in particular. It made us think, and his opening speech today will have made us think further.

As the NHS is one of the largest commercial organisations...

My Lords, it is a great pleasure to see the Minister in his place. He has always represented the best of the Scottish Labour tradition, that of building people up rather than trying to tear things down.

I am strongly in favour of what the noble Lord, Lord Alton, said about...

My Lords, it is a great pleasure to see the Minister in his place. He has always represented the best of the Scottish Labour tradition, that of building people up rather than trying to tear things down.

I am strongly in favour of what the noble Lord, Lord Alton, said about...