A Bill to require commercial organisations and public bodies to include a statement on slavery and human trafficking in their annual report and accounts; and to require contracting authorities to exclude from procurement procedures economic operators who have not provided such a statement; and for connected purposes.
House of Lords
28 March 2017
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
The bill would require large organisations and public bodies to publish a slavery and human trafficking statement in their annual reports, and would force contracting authorities to exclude bidders who do not provide such a statement in procurement procedures. It aims to boost transparency by making these statements publicly available, including through a central online registry.
Originated in the Lords (May–July 2016), with 2nd reading in the Lords on 8 July and the Order of Commitment discharged in November. It moved to the Commons (1st reading 30 November 2016) and is at the 2nd reading stage there. Parliamentary correspondence in Sept–Nov 2016 outlined policy context, including procurement rules, a central registry, and GLAA-related enforcement as the bill progressed.
Generated 21 February 2026
23 May 2016
8 Jul 2016
7 Nov 2016
22 Nov 2016
30 Nov 2016
This Bill was expected to resume its second reading debate on Friday 24 March 2017 but the order was not moved so the bill has effectively been dropped by its sponsoring MP and will not progress any further.
This Bill was brought from the Lords and received its first reading in the Commons on 30 November 2016. This is known as the first reading and there was no debate on the Bill at this stage.
Baroness Williams’ letter explains the Government’s view on the role of a central registry website for the slavery and human trafficking statements businesses must publish under the Modern Slavery (Transparency in Supply Chains) Bill. It references points raised in the 8 July debate and outlines how such a registry would support public transparency and accountability by making the statements accessible.
The letter explains that Immigration Act 2016 broadens the Gangmasters Licensing Authority’s remit, renaming it the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) and equipping it with police‑style powers, plus new enforcement tools and a Director of Labour Market Enforcement to set strategy. Licensing will be made more flexible to cover additional sectors as risks evolve, and the 2016‑17 budget for the GLAA is £4.5 million.
The content provided is only the letter’s boilerplate; the substantive text isn’t included, so I can’t summarise its conclusions. The letter is a 6 September 2016 reply from Baroness Williams of Trafford to Lord Boateng, addressing issues raised during the 8 July debate on the Modern Slavery (Transparency in Supply Chains) Bill [HL]. If you share the text of the letter, I can provide a concise 1–3 sentence summary of its key points and any suggested next steps.
This is a Lords correspondence from Baroness Williams of Trafford to Baroness Hamwee about reporting on how the Public Contract Regulations 2015 are observed, a point raised in the Lords debate on 8 July, in relation to the Modern Slavery (Transparency in Supply Chains) Bill [HL]. It discusses the link between public procurement rules and transparency in supply chains, but does not itself propose new legislation.
A letter dated 6 September 2016 from Baroness Williams of Trafford to Lord Alton of Liverpool, in response to issues raised during the 8 July debate on unaccompanied refugee children, prosecutions for modern slavery, and support for child victims, in connection with the Modern Slavery (Transparency in Supply Chains) Bill. It sets out the government’s position on these matters as the Bill progresses.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
