§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department is taking to end the practice of bonded labour. [97998]
§ Clare ShortThe Government made clear their commitment to core labour standards in the White Paper "Eliminating World Poverty". Elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour is one of the four core standards established by the International Labour Organisation. We are committed to the promotion of these standards both in the UK and overseas.
We are currently undertaking a strategic review of our approach to the implementation of core labour standards. It will be published later this year. However my Department is already addressing the issue at several levels. At the international level, we are a strong supporter of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Its Declaration and Fundamental principles on the Rights at Work (1998) and Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour (1999) both outlaw bonded labour and offer key international standards and monitoring mechanisms. The focus of our support to date has been primarily on 553W the issue of child labour and the UK is currently the second largest funder of the ILO's International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC).