The UK Government has responded to the Transparency in Supply Chains consultation with the introduction of a series of new measures.
On the 22nd September the UK Government released a press statement concerning the response to the Transparency in Supply Chains Consultation, which brought together views from businesses, public bodies and public sector organisations, investors and civil society to build and strengthen transparency legislation introduced by the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
In addition to the requirements under section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (Transparency in Supply Chains), the new set of measures published specifically includes:
- Mandating key areas and specific issues modern slavery statements must address, such as due diligence and risk assessment.
- Organisations with a budget of £36 million or more will need to publish their modern slavery statements via a new government digital reporting service. This will apply regardless of sector.
The new digital reporting service is anticipated to be launched in 2021. The announcement also indicated that the Government is considering the establishment of a single enforcement body for employment rights and the progression of civil penalties for organisations that fail to comply with the provisions of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. However, a response to this consultation has yet to be published. The full UK Government press release can be found here.
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