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Written Question
Companies: British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies
Tuesday 11th March 2025

Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether UK Crown Dependency and Overseas Territories permit incorporation of a company without official proof of identity of promoters, directors, and shareholders.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Crown Dependencies (CDs) and Overseas Territories (OTs) are separate legal jurisdictions to the United Kingdom and responsible for their own domestic affairs including, in those CDs and OTs with provisions for financial services, the responsibility for regulation and company registry in their jurisdictions.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 amends the Companies Act 2006 to mandate identity verification requirements for those setting up and controlling companies in the UK. This will apply to directors and PSCs (people with significant control) of existing companies and any new companies being incorporated. Companies registered in the CDs and OTs with a place of business or branch in the UK will also be required to have their directors and PSCs identities verified.

The UK Government is committed to working with international financial centres, including the CDs and OTs, to help tackle illicit finance, including increasing the transparency of their corporate beneficial ownership registers. The UK's ultimate expectation of the CDs and OTs remains fully public registers.

Written Question
British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies: Defence
Thursday 29th April 2021

Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what resources they provide for defending each of the (1) Crown Dependencies, and (2) British Overseas Territories; and what is the total cost of such resources.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. The Minister will write directly to the Member with a response shortly.

Written Question
British Virgin Islands: Politics and Government
Wednesday 3rd February 2021

Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the announcement of an independent inquiry into the governance of the British Virgin Islands, what plans they have (1) to support the expansion of its terms of reference to include, and (2) to support any consideration of, the Islands' role in global tax avoidance and money laundering as part of the inquiry.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Commission of Inquiry was established by the Governor of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) to investigate specific allegations where such an investigation would be in the interests of public welfare in the BVI. The Governor set the Terms of Reference as:

  • to establish whether there is information that corruption, abuse of office or other serious dishonesty in relation to officials, whether statutory, elected or public may have taken place in recent years;
  • if there is such information, to consider the conditions which allowed that corruption, abuse of office or other serious dishonesty to take place and whether they may still exist;
  • if appropriate, to make independent recommendations with a view to improving the standards of governance, to give the people of the Virgin Islands confidence that government is working in a fair, transparent and proper manner;
  • if appropriate, to make independent recommendations with a view to improving the operation of the agencies of law enforcement and justice;
  • should the Commissioner at any time consider that a change to these terms of reference would be beneficial to public welfare in achieving the objectives of the Inquiry, to inform the then Governor of the Virgin Islands at the first opportunity; and
  • to prepare and submit a written report to the then Governor of the Virgin Islands within six (6) months from the commencement of the Inquiry, making all such recommendations as seem fit provided that the Governor may extend the period for submission of the report to a period no longer than 9 months from the date of the Inquiry.

It will be for the Commissioner, Sir Gary Hickinbottom, to determine how best to carry out these Terms.