Ethical Consumer And Use Of Tax Havens By Companies Operating Public Services

Andrew George has seconded EDM2399. Motion reads: “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.”