Consultation responses
CORE’s responses to UK government and other consultations
Submission: Justice Committee inquiry into the future of legal aid
Wednesday, November 11th, 2020This submission focuses on the impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LAPSO) Act on access to remedy in the context of international abuses of human rights by UK multinational corporations.
CORE and Anti-Slavery International submission to BEIS Committee consultation on forced labour in UK value chains
Wednesday, November 11th, 2020Our submission recommends that the introduction of punitive tools to exclude products produced in whole or in part with forced labour from the UK market should not replace, or distract from, the responsibility over the buyers of products to conduct due diligence throughout their supply chains and operations.
CORE's response to DEFRA consultation on due diligence on forest risk commodities
Friday, October 2nd, 2020Our view is that while the proposal is very welcome step, excluding human rights impacts is both artificial and impractical given the inextricable links between these and much deforestation. The Global Resource Initiative (GRI) taskforce has expressly recognised that human rights and the environment must be aligned.
CORE and partners' submission to Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry on the human rights implications of the Government’s response to COVID-19
Thursday, July 23rd, 2020CORE Coalition; Amnesty International UK; Anti-Slavery International; CAFOD; UNISON; Forest Peoples Programme; Traidcraft Exchange; Dalit Solidarity Network UK; ABColumbia; Andrew Lees Trust; Homeworkers Worldwide UK; Fashion Roundtable; and Labour Behind the Label have submitted a response to the Joint Committee on Human Rights.
The submission focuses on the business and human rights implications of the COVID-19 crisis and the Government’s response.
CORE's Submission to BEIS 'Reforming Regulation' Consultation
Wednesday, June 10th, 2020CORE’s submission to the consultation on the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s ‘Reforming Regulation Initiative’ recommends that the UK government introduce a new corporate duty to prevent negative human rights and environmental impacts, mandating businesses to conduct human rights and environmental due diligence, and holding UK companies accountable if they fail to prevent harmful impacts on society and the environment.
CORE and Partners' Submission to JCHR Consultation on the Environment Bill
Tuesday, March 31st, 2020Submission to the Joint Committee on Human Rights by CORE Coalition, Amnesty International UK, Traidcraft Exchange, RAID UK, Forest Peoples Programme, Oxfam, UNICEF UK, Anti-Slavery International, CAFOD, ShareAction and Business and Human Rights Resource Centre. This submission relates to proposed new clause (NC5) in the Environment Bill: “Environmental and human rights due diligence: duty to publish draft legislation.”
CORE and Partners’ Submission to Consultation on a Single Enforcement Body for employment rights
Monday, October 7th, 2019CORE, Amnesty International UK, Anti-Slavery International, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, Christian Aid, FLEX, Traidcraft Exchange and UNISON have submitted a joint response to the Government’s consultation on establishing a new Single Enforcement Body for employment rights. We focus primarily on section 4.4., “supply chains”.
CORE and Partners' Submission to Transparency in Supply Chains Consultation
Monday, September 16th, 2019CORE, Anti-Slavery International, Amnesty International, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, Christian Aid, Environmental Justice Foundation, Fairtrade Foundation, FLEX, Freedom Fund, Freedom United, Traidcraft Exchange, TUC, UNICEF and UNISON have submitted a joint response to the Government’s consultation on the transparency in supply chains (TISC) provision of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
CORE submission to BEIS initial consultation on Kingman Independent Review of FRC
Tuesday, June 18th, 2019CORE has made a submission to the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) initial consultation on recommendations made by the Kingman Independent Review of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC). In the submission we welcome attempts in the Review to improve the efficacy of shareholders’ and auditors’ oversight, but highlight that inherent flaws mean that neither are ultimately a replacement for effective regulation and accountability mechanisms.
Read the full submission here >>
Read about the consultation here >>
CORE and Partners' Submission to Modern Slavery Act Independent Review
Friday, October 26th, 2018CORE, Amnesty International UK, Anti-Slavery International, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, Fairtrade Foundation, Freedom United and ShareAction have made a joint submission to the Home Office’s commissioned independent review of the Modern Slavery Act. We recommend that that the Act is strengthened through a) improved monitoring and enforcement mechanisms and b) a revision of the reporting provisions.
Read the full submission here.
CORE Submission to BEIS Insolvency and Corporate Governance Consultation
Wednesday, July 18th, 2018CORE’s submission to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy consultation on Insolvency and Corporate Governance holds that companies will only avoid taking the risks the lead to insolvency when directors can be held to account for their failings. Moreover, the corporate governance framework should be restructured to ensure companies are run in the interests of all their stakeholders, not only shareholders.
You can read the submission here.
CORE Submission to Treasury Select Committee Economic Crime Inquiry
Tuesday, May 8th, 2018CORE’s submission to the Treasury Select Committee Economic Crime inquiry recommends that the Government extends its ‘failure to prevent’ model to cover all economic crime and establishes a central database of companies that have faced criminal sanction or are under investigation. It also recommends that the Committee push the Government to indicate when it intends to publish its response to the call for evidence on economic crime, and whether it has any plans to task the Law Commission with reviewing the overall corporate liability framework in the UK.
Read the full submission here.
CORE Submission to Foreign Affairs Select Committee Inquiry on 'Global Britain' Policy
Tuesday, April 17th, 2018CORE’s submission to the Foreign Affairs Committee’s inquiry on the Government’s ‘Global Britain’ policy argues that human rights must be at the heart of any reinvigorated foreign policy, particularly in the face of temptations to neglect existing standards to secure trade deals as the UK leaves the EU.
CORE & Amnesty International UK respond to call for inputs by UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights
Thursday, March 15th, 2018CORE and Amnesty International UK have made a submission in response to the UN Working Group’s call for inputs to a report on ensuring respect for human rights in the context of state involvement in ‘economic diplomacy’ and trade and investment promotion. Our submission focuses in particular on the policies of the Department for International Trade, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and UK Export Finance in relation to ensuring respect for human rights.
CORE & Amnesty International UK Joint Submission to the FRC Consultation on Proposed Revisions to the Corporate Governance Code
Thursday, March 1st, 2018CORE and Amnesty International UK have made a joint submission to the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) consultation on proposed revisions to the Corporate Governance Code and Stewardship Code. We argue that the proposed revisions to the Corporate Governance Code take steps in the right direction, but do not go far enough. The submission addresses the proposals to put workers on boards; remuneration committee’s powers; alignment with international human rights norms; and more stringent guidelines for investors.
Submission to Public Accounts Committee Inquiry: 'Reducing Modern Slavery'
Friday, February 16th, 2018Following the National Audit Office report examining what progress the Home Office had made in reducing modern slavery, the Public Accounts Committee launched an inquiry into the effectiveness of measures introduced under the Modern Slavery Act 2015. CORE submitted evidence to the inquiry with comments on the efficacy of the TISC reporting requirement and the provisions for supporting victims of slavery and human trafficking.
Submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade for the Inquiry into Establishing a Modern Slavery Act in Australia
Thursday, June 22nd, 2017CORE and partner ICAR have submitted a response to the Australian Government regarding its proposals to establish a Modern Slavery Act. We urge the Australian Government to draw on UK modern slavery legislation and to go further than the UK Act in terms of reporting provisions and enforcement.
Response to the Call for Evidence on Economic Crime
Wednesday, April 5th, 2017CORE welcomes the call for evidence on corporate liability for economic crime. We are calling for statutory changes to replace the outdated identification doctrine with a regime that reflects the realities of modern business operations. This includes the introduction of a new corporate ‘failure to prevent economic crime’ offence which would put the onus on companies to prove that they have the right procedures in place to prevent a catalogue of white collar crimes.
Response to the Corporate Governance Green Paper
Monday, February 20th, 2017CORE has submitted a response covering sections 2-4 of the Green Paper. We argue that the current framework of enlightened shareholder value, combined with a voluntary Corporate Governance Code and an emphasis on ‘culture,’ has failed to address egregious corporate malpractice and to provide collective and individual accountability for management failures. Only genuine reform, not minor adjustments and more voluntary schemes can address these issues.
CORE submission to the Joint Committee on Human Rights' inquiry into human rights and business
Thursday, July 7th, 2016CORE’s submission to the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ inquiry provides evidence on the UK’s implementation of the UNGPs.
CORE Response to The Non-Financial Reporting Directive consultation
Tuesday, April 19th, 2016A response to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills consultation on the Non-Financial Reporting Directive: A call for views on effective reporting alongside proposals to implement EU requirements.
Letter to the UK’s Permanent Representative to the EU on ESG risk management in the Shareholder Rights Directive
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2015CORE submission to the Tackling Exploitation in the Labour Market consultation
Tuesday, December 8th, 2015A response to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills consultation on tackling exploitation in the labour market.
CORE Submission to inform the revision of the UK's National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights
Tuesday, August 4th, 2015CORE’s submission to the government’s review of the UK’s National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, including analysis of the document’s current deficiencies and recommendations for improvement.
CORE response to the Modern Slavery and Supply Chains consultation
Friday, May 8th, 2015A response to the Home Office consultation on the scope of the transparency in supply chains clause of the Act, and comments on the proposed content of the statutory guidance.
CORE submission to the Joint Committee on Human Rights on the Modern Slavery Bill
Tuesday, September 16th, 2014The submission makes a series of recommendations to strengthen the Bill to improve corporate transparency and accountability. The document outlines the steps companies should take to minimise the risk of the most serious labour rights violations within their supply chain.
Second submission to the Drafting Group on Human Rights and Business of the Council of Europe
Tuesday, September 16th, 2014Comments and suggestions from Amnesty International, ECCJ, FIDH, CORE and Sherpa on the Draft Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member States on human rights and business of 22 August 2014.
UNWG Consultation on National Action Plans - Submission on Remedy
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014The International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR), CORE, and the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ) emphasise that, in the development of National Action Plans (NAPs), States must first conduct National Baseline Assessments (NBAs) and then commit in their NAP to close identified gaps through legislative or other regulatory means.
UNWG Consultation on Substantive Elements of National Action Plans
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014This submission offers the perspectives of The International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR) and The Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR)— with the support of the Corporate Responsibility Coalition (CORE), the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), and the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ)— on the open public consultation document released by the UN Working Group, entitled Practical and Substantive Considerations in the Development and Enactment of a National Action Plan to Implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
European Commission's strategy on CSR 2011-2014
Tuesday, August 12th, 2014The Commission launched this public consultation in order to receive feedback on the implementation of its most recent policy on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which is outlined in the Communication “A renewed EU strategy 2011-14 for Corporate Social Responsibility” (COM(2011) 681). CORE states its support for the Commission’s new definition of CSR, identifies the weaknesses in the agenda for action and makes recommendations for the next steps.
Joint submission to the Drafting Group on Human Rights and Business of the Council of Europe
Thursday, July 3rd, 2014The response expresses support for a Council of Europe non-binding instrument focused on access to justice and closely related issues. Such an instrument should essentially deal with State–based judicial mechanisms given the Council of Europe’s long-standing expertise in this field and since other instruments have already provided important guidance on companybased grievance mechanisms.
Response to UK Export Finance consultation
Wednesday, April 16th, 2014Changes to the UK government’s powers to support exports and investments must fully reflect the environmental, social and human rights dimensions of UK Export Finance’s activities.
Submission to the Joint Committee on the draft Modern Slavery bill
Monday, February 10th, 2014CORE welcomes the draft Bill which presents an important opportunity to introduce much-needed legislative measures as a necessary first step to improving corporate transparency and accountability for the most serious labour rights violations in the supply chain.
Comments on ‘Exposure Draft: Guidance on the Strategic Report’ (Financial Reporting Council)
Wednesday, November 20th, 2013Submission to ‘EU Proposals to reform non-financial reporting: call for evidence’ (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills)
Tuesday, October 1st, 2013Submission to 'Corporate responsibility: a call for views' (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills)
Friday, September 27th, 2013Submission to 'Transparency and trust: enhancing the transparency of UK company ownership and increasing trust in UK business' (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills)
Friday, September 13th, 2013This briefing by CORE and the Environmental Law Service relates to the UK government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skill’s Company Ownership Transparency and Trust Discussion Paper, Q.39: The merits of strengthening responsibilities of banking directors by amending the directors’ duties in CA06 to create a primary duty to promote financial stability over the interests of shareholders.
Response to 'The future of narrative reporting: a new structure for narrative reporting in the UK' (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills)
Wednesday, November 21st, 2012CORE’s response to “The future of narrative reporting: a new structure for narrative reporting in the UK”.