HC Deb 21 December 2000 vol 360 cc263-4W
Mr. Alexander

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to ensure that contracts funded by her Department are not given to companies which use child labour; and what monitoring is undertaken of this issue. [143545]

Clare Short

The Department for International Development works, within the framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, for the reduction of child labour and elimination of its worst forms in a way which ensures children's survival and meets their development needs, particularly in health and education.

DFID contracts include provision to terminate if a supplier breaks the laws of the country in which it is working including those relating to child labour. Construction work funded through DFID grants must be implemented using internationally accepted forms of contract. DFID is working on revised guidelines to improve labour standards for workers on DFID funded construction projects, which we hope will also be adopted more widely by our partners in developing countries.

Back to
Forward to