ETHICAL CONSUMER AND USE OF TAX HAVENS BY COMPANIES OPERATING PUBLIC SERVICES

Early day motion 2399, tabled 8 November 2011 by Caroline Lucas (Green). Signed by 76 members.

That this House congratulatesEthical Consumer for its work exposing the poor ethical record of the companies being awarded contracts to run our public services; is deeply concerned that 13 of the 20 companies surveyed avoid tax through the use of tax havens; believes that the huge scale of Government procurement, at around 200 billion a year, has the potential to have a major positive impact on the market for ethical goods and services; notes that whilst the Government has guidelines for reducing its environmental impact through operations and procurement, no such equivalent guidelines exist for wider ethical concerns; and calls on the Government to bring forward a set of legally binding procurement rules that subject companies delivering and bidding for the delivery of public service contracts to high ethical, environmental and anti-tax avoidance standards as measured against the criteria developed by Ethical Consumer.

Signatures by party: Labour 45, Liberal Democrat 22, Plaid Cymru 3, Scottish National Party 2, DUP 1, Green 1, Independent 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.