Asked by: Frank Dobson (Labour - Holborn and St Pancras)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to identify and prosecute any British citizens or residents for possession of or trafficking in historic artefacts stolen from Iraq or Syria.
Answered by James Brokenshire
UN and EU sanctions prohibiting trade in illegally removed Iraqi and Syrian cultural property are implemented in UK legislation.
The Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Act 2003 makes it an offence if a person dishonestly deals in a cultural objects that are tainted, knowing or believing that the object is tainted. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has issued guidelines for collectors, auctioneers and dealers in antiquities, and for museums in making acquisitions, to the effect that anyone suspected of dealing dishonestly in tainted cultural property should be reported to the police, so that appropriate enforcement activity can be
initiated.
If Border Force identify an item that they suspect is a tainted cultural object they may seize it using customs powers (if applicable) or section 19 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. Any such seized items are handed to the National Crime Agency or the relevant police force for investigation.
Asked by: Frank Dobson (Labour - Holborn and St Pancras)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to prevent British financial institutions facilitating the sale of (a) oil and (b) historic artefacts by ISIL.
Answered by David Gauke
ISIL is designated under the UN Al Qaida sanctions regime (given effect by UN Security Council Resolution 1267) which is implemented in the EU by Council Regulation 881/2002, with the criminal penalties imposed in the UK by the Al Qaida (Asset Freezing) Regulations 2011. The Al Qaida financial sanctions is implemented in the UK by HM Treasury.
It is therefore a criminal offence for any legal or natural person, including financial institutions, to deal with funds belonging to ISIL or to make funds or economic resources available to ISIL. It is a criminal offence for individuals or organisations knowingly to provide support for ISIL, including by the facilitation of oil, oil products, or commodities including historic artefacts. This was most recently underlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2199, which the UK Government co-sponsored.
Asked by: Frank Dobson (Labour - Holborn and St Pancras)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to answer Question 224902, tabled by the hon. Member for Holborn and St Pancras on 23 February 2015 for Named day answer on 26 February 2015.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I have done so.
Asked by: Frank Dobson (Labour - Holborn and St Pancras)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to require RBS and Lloyds to disclose the activities of their subsidiary companies located in tax havens.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of CRDIV, banks will be required from December 2015 to disclose much more information regarding the activities of their subsidiaries than they have previously done.
In each country in which they operate, they will have to report their profit/loss before tax and how much corporation tax they have paid. This makes great strides in increasing transparency and accountability to investors and the general public.
Asked by: Frank Dobson (Labour - Holborn and St Pancras)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made on implementation of a 24 hour coroners system.
Answered by Simon Hughes
We want to make sure that grieving families receive the highest level of service when they are most in need, which is why we are determined that inquests are conducted quickly and consistently right across the country.
It is important that coroners are flexible and accessible in the service they provide. The Government will do everything it can to encourage all coroners to make an out of hours service available and also to direct a less-invasive post-mortem where this is suitable and desired by the family.
The Chief Coroner and I recently met senior figures from London local authorities and from the Metropolitan and City of London Police. We have secured their agreement to developing a pan-London out of hours coroner service which will share workloads and services and be in place as soon as possible after 31st March 2015.
Asked by: Frank Dobson (Labour - Holborn and St Pancras)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of claims for interest rate swap mis-selling have reached the redress offer and acceptance stage; and what proportion these represent of redress offers made for (a) Barclays, (b) RBS, (c) HSBC, (d) Lloyds and (e) Standard Chartered.
Answered by David Gauke
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) publishes data on redress offers and acceptances on a regular basis, and it is available through its website - http://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/financial-services-products/banking/interest-rate-hedging-products
Asked by: Frank Dobson (Labour - Holborn and St Pancras)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff of HS2 Ltd are employed on personal service contracts.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
No staff are employed directly by HS2 Ltd on personal services contracts.
Asked by: Frank Dobson (Labour - Holborn and St Pancras)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff of HS2 Ltd on personal service contracts are paid more than £1,000 a day.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
There are no staff employed directly by HS2 Ltd on personal services contracts.
Asked by: Frank Dobson (Labour - Holborn and St Pancras)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of building the London terminus for High Speed 2 at Euston.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The plans for Euston are being developed to meet the timescales of the current parliamentary process. The revised scheme will be deposited later this year to enable consideration of the scheme in Select Committee. This will include the latest cost estimate for building the station.
Asked by: Frank Dobson (Labour - Holborn and St Pancras)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any employers have indicated an intention to transfer activities from London to Birmingham after the opening of Phase 1 of High Speed 2.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport are not aware of any businesses that have indicated that they plan to relocate from London to Birmingham. However, as the HS2 scheme is not expected to receive Royal Assent until 2016 and will not be operational until 2026, the Department would not expect businesses to make relocation plans at this early stage.
In the interim period however, Greater Birmingham and Solihull’s Local Enterprise Partnership are undertaking work as part of both their Strategic Economic Plans to attract more jobs and businesses to their area. They are also developing HS2 Growth Strategies to maximise the wider benefits the railway will bring.