§ Sir Alastair GoodladTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support her Department has given, and at what cost, to the Ethical Training Initiative; and if she will make a statement. [39341]
§ Mr. FoulkesThe Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting the work of the Ethical Trading Initiative, to which we have provided a grant of over £500,000. The members include many of the major UK retail chains and other private sector partners, NGOs and trade unions. They are working together on best practice in monitoring the implementation of voluntary codes for ethical sourcing and on developing a positive engagement between importers and their suppliers so that the latter are helped to comply with the codes. DFID is especially keen to encourage this sort of positive engagement as it is that which is most likely directly to improve working conditions in developing countries.