Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Proposed Trade Deal with India: Human Rights

Thursday 25 January 2024 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • UK engages regularly with Indian Government on human rights issues at ministerial level.
  • Government consults human rights monitoring bodies and experts on trade deal concerns.
  • UK raises specific human rights issues, including child labour, with India during visits.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Joanna Cherry SNP
Foreign Affairs Business & Trade
Context

The proposed trade deal between UK and India faces criticism for potential human rights issues.

Question

I am concerned about the proposed trade deal with India, which includes legal commitments on upholding human rights. An industry risk analysis dataset shows that India ranks among the worst performing countries for human rights abuses across a host of key industries. I would like to know: have the Government consulted human rights monitoring bodies and experts, and are they actively considering the impact of this deal on human rights abuses in India?

Answer from Greg Hands

The UK engages regularly with the Indian Government and other Governments around the world, bilaterally and multilaterally. Where we have concerns on human rights, they are raised directly with the partner Government, including at ministerial level. However, the Minister noted that despite these efforts, it is unclear whether the SNP will support this trade deal.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific request for confirmation of consultations and impact assessments was not fully addressed.

How: Not Entirely Sure, Referred To Historical Positions

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Q2 Joanna Cherry SNP
Brexit Foreign Affairs
Context

The proposed UK-India trade deal is criticised for potential human rights violations.

Question

I thank the Minister for his answer, but an industry risk analysis dataset shows that India ranks among the worst performing countries for human rights abuses across a host of key industries. My question is specific: have the Government consulted human rights monitoring bodies and experts, and are they actively considering the impact of this deal on human rights abuses in India?

Answer from Greg Hands

I congratulate the hon. and learned Lady on her recent election as Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights. The UK engages regularly with the Indian Government and other Governments around the world, bilaterally and multilaterally. Where we have concerns on human rights, they are raised directly with the partner Government, including at ministerial level.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific request for confirmation of consultations and impact assessments was not fully addressed.

How: Not Entirely Sure, Referred To Historical Positions

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Q3 Richard Thomson
Foreign Affairs Business & Trade
Context

The proposed UK-India trade deal is criticised for potential human rights violations, particularly regarding child labour.

Question

I would like to give the Minister another chance because that was pretty dismal stuff even by his standards. India has one of the poorest human rights records in the world when it comes to child labour. To give the Minister an opportunity to get us to a position where we could potentially support a deal, will he explain how Ministers and the Government are engaging with negotiators in India to tackle child labour there and to ensure that the United Kingdom does not become complicit in that exploitation?

Answer from Greg Hands

Of course the UK has a very proud record on labour standards and on raising these issues with counterparts at all levels. Lord Ahmad was in India just a couple of weeks ago raising specific human rights issues, including a case that the SNP has raised frequently. The Government are proud of our record on labour protections and have been clear that an FTA with India does not come at the expense of labour standards.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific request for details on engagement with Indian negotiators to tackle child labour was not fully addressed.

How: Referred Back To Historical Positions

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