Government answers my Question on the use and roll out of technology by public sector contracting authorities -under the terms of the Procurement Act 2023 – to assess the presence of forced labour in suppliers’ operation technology
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent, the Cabinet Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL10172):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government whether public sector contracting authorities are required to adopt scientific tools under the Procurement Act 2023 to assess the presence of forced labour in suppliers’ operations; and if so, how their use is being evaluated and whether such technology is being rolled out for more extensive use. (HL10172)
Tabled on: 03 September 2025
Answer:
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent:
Abhorrent practices such as modern slavery, human trafficking and human rights abuses have no place in public supply chains or in wider society. This Government is determined to stamp this out. Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 009 ‘Tackling Modern Slavery in Government Supply Chains’ encourages departments to conduct due diligence using a range of tools and approaches to assess risks. The PPN sets out key actions to identify risks and recommends the use of tools such as the Modern Slavery Assessment Tool to support departments in managing risks.
The Procurement Act 2023 also provides contracting authorities with stronger powers to exclude suppliers from public procurements where there is compelling evidence of modern slavery within their supply chains.
Date and time of answer: 14 Oct 2025 at 14:18.
Read the Joint Committee on Human Rights Report of Modern Day Slavery in Supply Chains:
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt5901/jtselect/jtrights/633/report.html
