Modern Slavery (Amendment) Bill [HL]

Official Summary

A Bill to prohibit the falsification of slavery and human trafficking statements; to establish minimum standards of transparency in supply chains in relation to modern slavery and human trafficking; to prohibit companies using supply chains which fail to demonstrate minimum standards of transparency; and for connected purposes

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Overview

This bill aims to strengthen the UK's fight against modern slavery by increasing transparency in supply chains and creating stricter penalties for false statements about slavery and human trafficking.

Description

The Modern Slavery (Amendment) Bill amends the Modern Slavery Act 2015. Key changes include:

New Offences:

False Statements: It criminalizes the provision of false or incomplete information in modern slavery statements, with penalties including up to 2 years imprisonment and/or fines up to 4% of a company's global turnover (maximum £20 million).
Lack of Transparency: Companies will commit an offence if they continue sourcing from suppliers who fail to meet minimum transparency standards after receiving a formal warning from the Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner.

Increased Transparency Requirements:

Companies must publish and verify information on the origin of their supply chain inputs.
They must arrange credible external inspections, audits, and unannounced spot-checks.
They must report on the use of employment agents acting on behalf of overseas governments.

The Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner gains the power to issue formal warnings to companies that fail to comply with these new disclosure and transparency requirements.

Government Spending

The bill doesn't directly allocate new government spending. However, enforcement of the new regulations may lead to increased costs for the government, although precise figures are not provided in the bill text.

Groups Affected

Businesses: Companies will face increased compliance costs and potential penalties for non-compliance.
Suppliers: Businesses acting as suppliers will need to increase their transparency and meet new standards to avoid impacting their clients.
Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner: Increased workload and responsibility for issuing warnings and overseeing compliance.
Victims of Modern Slavery: Potentially benefit from improved transparency and stronger enforcement to reduce modern slavery.

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