Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 2 August (HL8713, HL9714, HL9715, and HL9716), what are the nationalities of those who have been subject to Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs) since January; whether any further UWOs have been granted since 2 August; and if so, what are the nationalities of those who have been subject to such Orders.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The release of information, such as the nationality of a respondent who is the subject of a UWO, is a matter for the High Court. With regard to the current UWOs, the Court ruled that the applications for the UWOs should be held in private.
The Court subsequently ruled that the challenge to one of the UWOs should be held in public but with the reporting restriction that the respondent should not be identified. No further UWOs have been granted at this stage. The Home Office continues to work with law enforcement agencies to encourage their use.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any of the unexplained wealth orders that have been applied for have been settled by confiscation of wealth or other assets.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Three UWOs have been applied for, and all granted, since the power came into force in January. All these applications were made without notice and heard in private. Law enforcement are currently exploring the use of more UWO in a number of cases.
They relate to the investigation of assets totalling £22 million. Interim freezing orders have also been obtained against the properties, in London and the South East, so they cannot be sold, As the orders all relate to ongoing investigations, it would be inappropriate to release further information at the moment. The annual Asset Recovery Statistical Bulletin, published in September, will include data on the number of UWOs obtained in the previous financial year.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications for unexplained wealth orders relate to individuals based in each of the nations of the UK and the Overseas Territories.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Three UWOs have been applied for, and all granted, since the power came into force in January. All these applications were made without notice and heard in private. Law enforcement are currently exploring the use of more UWO in a number of cases.
They relate to the investigation of assets totalling £22 million. Interim freezing orders have also been obtained against the properties, in London and the South East, so they cannot be sold, As the orders all relate to ongoing investigations, it would be inappropriate to release further information at the moment. The annual Asset Recovery Statistical Bulletin, published in September, will include data on the number of UWOs obtained in the previous financial year.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many unexplained wealth order applications have been dealt with by closed courts since they became available.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Three UWOs have been applied for, and all granted, since the power came into force in January. All these applications were made without notice and heard in private. Law enforcement are currently exploring the use of more UWO in a number of cases.
They relate to the investigation of assets totalling £22 million. Interim freezing orders have also been obtained against the properties, in London and the South East, so they cannot be sold, As the orders all relate to ongoing investigations, it would be inappropriate to release further information at the moment. The annual Asset Recovery Statistical Bulletin, published in September, will include data on the number of UWOs obtained in the previous financial year.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many unexplained wealth orders have been (1) applied for, (2) granted, and (3) refused since they became available; and how many are subject to appeal.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Three UWOs have been applied for, and all granted, since the power came into force in January. All these applications were made without notice and heard in private. Law enforcement are currently exploring the use of more UWO in a number of cases.
They relate to the investigation of assets totalling £22 million. Interim freezing orders have also been obtained against the properties, in London and the South East, so they cannot be sold, As the orders all relate to ongoing investigations, it would be inappropriate to release further information at the moment. The annual Asset Recovery Statistical Bulletin, published in September, will include data on the number of UWOs obtained in the previous financial year.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 6 November (HL2390) regarding files relating to Hilda Murrell being closed until 1 January 2070, what are the current ages of the living individuals whose personal data is covered by section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
There are no Hilda Murrell files created by the Home Office that are closed in full at the National Archives. Where a person is less than 100 years old their personal details will be extracted from a file and kept closed until they reach 100 years of age. Based on a closure date of 1 January 1970, the extract in question (HO/287/3597/1) will contain information relating to an individual born in 1969.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 17 July (HL641), what was the outcome of the review of the file relating to Hilda Murrell.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The file has now been reviewed and prepared for transfer to The National Archives. A date for this transfer is being arranged, and is expected to be in either December or January.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why there are files relating to Hilda Murrell in the Home Office or Public Record Office which are closed until 1 January 2070.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
There is one Home Office file, ref. HO/287/3597/1, relating to Hilda Murrell which contains two extracts that are closed until 1 January 2070. This is because of the requirement to protect the personal data of living individuals under s40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14589950
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 4 August 2014 (HL938), whether the file relating to Hilda Murrell referred to as being from 1993, and due for review in 2017 in respect of transfer to the National Archives, has yet been reviewed; and, if so, with what outcome.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The file has not yet been examined, but is scheduled for review over the summer.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many passport applications have been made using the legend of a deceased person in each of the past six years.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not routinely publish this data.