Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agree that a forum is a good idea. Before other speakers contribute again, I will ask one more question. Mr. Waldron said that he received 500 boxes of face masks from the Chinese embassy. I do not expect him to be able to answer this question, but does he have any idea where they were made? I ask that question because in the People's Republic of China there is a phenomenon called a labour transfer programme. The Chinese Government describes it as a programme whereby local residents rise above poverty through employment and lead fulfilling lives. However, it has been reported in The New York Times, a relatively reputable newspaper, that penalties faced by those who refuse to co-operate often mean that their participation is in effect involuntary and that this could amount under international law to forced labour. There has been a certain focus on the Xinjiang province in the north west of China, an area that I visited in a very different capacity almost 20 years ago. There is a minority there called Uighurs, which is largely a Muslim ethnic minority. Under this labour transfer programme, Uighurs are often sent into factory and service jobs. According to the National Medical Products Administration of China, only four companies in Xinjiang produced medical grade protective equipment before the pandemic but, as of 20 June, that number had increased to 51.

From a review of state media reports and public records, The New York Timesfound that at least 17 of those companies participate in the labour transfer programme. While those companies produce equipment primarily for domestic use, The New York Times also identified other companies outside Xinjiang which were using Uighur labour and were exporting globally, including to the United States. There has been a huge jump in the number of face masks being worn, which is to be welcomed generally, but would it be of concern to the witnesses if some of those face masks were being produced using forced labour?