§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they informed Rights and Accountability in Development and its Congolese partner, Action Contre 1'Impunité Pour les Droits Humains, that they had been accepted as complainants against the United Kingdom-based company, Avient Ltd, in respect of alleged violations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's guidelines for multinational enterprises. [HL4924]
§ Lord Sainsbury of TurvilleRights and Accountability In Development and Action Contre L'impunité Pour Les Droits Humains indicated their intention to act as complainants on 12 July 2004. The National Contact Point looks forward to receiving specific details of their complaints, with supporting evidence as soon as possible.
§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will give further details of the operations by an MI 24 attack helicopter in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said by the United Kingdom-based company Avient Limited to have been involved in the relief of isolated places; and what steps were taken by the National Contact Point for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines to obtain 215WA independent corroboration of the company's account of the use made of this machine. [HL4980]
§ Lord Sainsbury of TurvilleWe are unable to comment on the matter. The National Contact Point (NCP) discussed the issue with the company in the dialogue process preceding the NCP statement. That dialogue process is confidential.
The implementation procedures of the OECD guidelines are a mechanism for mediating between parties on specific instances of alleged breach of the guidelines. In considering the issues raised regarding the Democratic Republic of Congo the NCP has drawn on material across government, in the public domain and supplied by the UN. No independent corroboration is sought in a mediation process.