The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is committed to combatting slavery and human trafficking. This statement sets out the steps that the RA is taking to ensure modern slavery is not taking place in our business or supply chains and is made pursuant to Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. This statement is applicable for the financial year which ended 31 August 2022. The statement applies to the RA as a whole, which includes the following entities:
• The Royal Academy of Arts (‘RA’) (company no. 6298947) – An independent charity led by eminent artists and architects to promote the Arts of Design through exhibitions and education.
• R. A. Enterprises Ltd (company no. 1666333) – A wholly-owned subsidiary of the RA that operates the RA’s shops and e-commerce, restaurants and cafés, publications, art sales and commercial learning.
• Burlington House Ltd (company no. 2216104) – A wholly-owned subsidiary of the RA that conducts fundraising, through ticketed events, from the corporate sector and individuals.
• RA (Arts) Ltd (company no. 2836364) – A wholly-owned subsidiary of the RA that operates entertainment and community services for the corporate sector.
• The Friends of the Royal Academy (company no. 1291535) – A separate charity with its own trustees, it supports the work of the Royal Academy and promotes the creation and appreciation of the arts.
• The Royal Academy Trust (charity no. 1067270) – A separately registered charity, whose object is the maintenance, development, advancement and preservation of the Royal Academy.
You can read more about our activities in our latest annual report, here.
Our Performance
Set out below is a summary of our activities over the financial year, and how these build on our previous efforts.
Supply Chain & Contractual
As explained in previous statements, we have established the highest risk categories in our supply chain based on level of spend and nature of activities. These categories are:
1. Building Works;
2. Art Transport;
3. IT;
4. Print;
5. Facilities Management;
6. Catering;
7. Retail.
New Suppliers
As part of our procurement processes we ask questions of potential suppliers regarding their compliance with the Modern Slavery Act, where the service falls within our main risk categories and anticipated spend is above £25,000. We have reviewed responses from suppliers, together with their own Modern Slavery policies, and raised further queries where appropriate. Due diligence checks are refreshed in instances where existing contracts are transferred to new suppliers.
Existing Suppliers
We carried out initial due diligence against suppliers with whom the RA spent over £25,000 in the calendar year 2022. This involved ‘desktop’ Internet research to establish whether suppliers publish a modern slavery statement on their website. Of the 61 suppliers identified with spend over £25,000, 46 were identified as having a published statement or, if no statement was evident online, were able to send one under separate cover. All were deemed to be acceptable.
Of the remaining 15 suppliers, 10 had turnover below £36m or were based overseas and therefore may not be required to publish a statement. 5 suppliers were still being questioned at the time of writing. It was noted that a number of suppliers who were not required to publish on the grounds of turnover or staff numbers did in fact choose to publish or had created a stand-alone statement, which was encouraging.
Contracts
The RA’s standard terms and conditions relating to sponsorship, venue hire and corporate membership, together with other terms and conditions the RA proposes to suppliers and other contractual partners, each contain explicit provisions requiring compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and/or the RA’s policy, entitling the RA to terminate the contract where this is not adhered to.
The RA is accredited as a London Living Wage employer, requiring larger value contractors and suppliers to pay their staff the London Living Wage. We have introduced these requirements into major contracts, for example in the areas of catering and security.
Policies
The RA has a policy on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, which was reviewed on 7 February 2023.
The RA’s Whistleblowing Policy refers to modern slavery as an example of a concern which might fall under the Policy.
Training, Recruitment and Employment
The RA has not previously undertaken specific staff training relating to modern slavery. We have now sourced dedicated online training, to improve staff understanding and awareness, and increase the effectiveness of our efforts to combat modern slavery. We will make this training available to senior staff during the current financial year (ending 31 August 2023).
When individuals apply to work at the RA, they are required to answer mandatory questions, including one which seeks to identify whether they may be a victim of modern slavery.
When new members of staff begin work at the RA, they are provided with a staff handbook, which contains information on modern slavery and references the RA Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy.
If you have any queries regarding this statement, please contact:
Michael Casartelli (Head of Procurement) (michael.casartelli@royalacademy.org.uk);
Benedict Anstey (General Counsel) (benedict.anstey@royalacademy.org.uk); or
Katy Grêlé (Head of Human Resources) (katy.grele@royalacademy.org.uk).
Approved by the Council of the Royal Academy of Arts on 7 February 2023.
Rebecca Salter, President – The Royal Academy of Arts
Download our 2018/19 Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement
Download our 2019/20 Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement
Download our 2020/21 Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement