Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL10213):
Question by Lord ALTON of Liverpool :
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of UK companies which (1) purchase cobalt, or (2) are involved in the connected supply chain from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); and what steps they have taken to ensure a fair price is paid to workers in the DRC and to support the eradication of child labour in the supply chain. (HL10213)
Tabled on: 18 September 2023
Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:
We are working with the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and international partners to address the governance and human rights issues linked to illicit mining that continues to fund armed group activity. The UK supports initiatives such as the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human rights, which aim to address security related human rights abuses in the mining sector. The UK is committed to addressing risks around conflict minerals through promoting and encouraging compliance with the OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains from Conflict Affected and High-Risk Areas. The UK is also a founding member of the European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM). This initiative aims to increase the proportion of “responsibly sourced minerals” especially in artisanal mining by working across the whole of the supply chain.
Date and time of answer: 02 Oct 2023 at 17:02.
