Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will review the effectiveness of the rules on the disclosure of fees for providing lobbying or media advice during takeovers of companies limited by guarantee; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
While the Companies (Disclosure of Auditor Remuneration and Liability Limitation Agreements) Regulations 2008 require companies to disclose fees payable to the auditor for the audit of their financial statements, there is no requirement to disclose fees payable to professional advisers more broadly. These are properly a matter for the company and its members. The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is committed to ensuring that the UK’s regulatory approach is proportionate, targeted, consistent, transparent, and optimised to support opportunities for UK businesses. The regulation of takeovers under the Companies Act and associated regulations is designed to protect the interests of shareholders and to safeguard their rights to information that will allow them to make an informed decision. We are confident the system functions effectively.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will review the effectiveness of the rules on disclosure of legal advisers’ fees during the takeover of a company limited by guarantee; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
While the Companies (Disclosure of Auditor Remuneration and Liability Limitation Agreements) Regulations 2008 require companies to disclose fees payable to the auditor for the audit of their financial statements, there is no requirement to disclose fees payable to professional advisers more broadly. These are properly a matter for the company and its members. The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is committed to ensuring that the UK’s regulatory approach is proportionate, targeted, consistent, transparent, and optimised to support opportunities for UK businesses. The regulation of takeovers under the Companies Act and associated regulations is designed to protect the interests of shareholders and to safeguard their rights to information that will allow them to make an informed decision. We are confident the system functions effectively.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many postmasters were dismissed between April 2006 and March 2010 as a result of the failings associated with the Post Office Horizon system.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Post Office has recently received an FOI request for the same information and that request is currently going through the appropriate process. As the information relates to data which is 10-15 years old, Post Office does not have immediately available information and so in responding to the FOI will seek to identify what, if any, information may be held.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the financial impact to UK businesses of the loss of mutual recognition of professional qualifications between the UK and the EU since January 2021; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Professional Qualifications (PQ) Bill strengthens the UK’s ability to negotiate and deliver ambitious arrangements on the recognition of professional qualifications with current and future trade partners beyond the European Union. It means we can further empower UK regulators to strike deals on recognition with their overseas counterparts, helping UK professionals get their qualifications recognised internationally. The end of EU-based rules and new trade deals mean the landscape is changing – new transparency requirements, and the continued provision of an Assistance Centre will help professionals to navigate it. This will help spread UK skills, knowledge and innovation across the globe, and boost UK businesses exporting services beyond the EU.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many subpostmasters were (a) dismissed, (b) prosecuted, (c) convicted and (d) received a prison sentence in each year since the Horizon computer system was installed and where evidence generated, at least in part, through Horizon was a factor in decisions; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
Over the years Horizon recorded shortfalls in cash which Post Office Ltd alleged were caused by sub-postmasters, leading to dismissals, recovery of losses and in some instances criminal prosecutions. Post Office informed the Court of Appeal in March 2021 that it had prosecuted 736 postmasters. Other prosecuting bodies also carried out prosecutions of postmasters.
As part of the ongoing criminal convictions appeals process in which the Post Office is engaged, the Courts will be examining whether Horizon evidence was essential to a conviction. It is therefore not for Government to comment on how many of these convictions may have been related to Horizon data.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress he has made on extending the UK grace periods for products labelled with the CE mark, but not the new UKCA mark, beyond January 2022; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
Since the new UKCA regime was announced, we have worked closely with industry to help them meet their new obligations under the UK’s goods regime. We are aware businesses continue to feel the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has made adapting to the new regime more challenging.
Our priority is to support industry and ensure the continued circulation of safe and compliant products on the UK market. Therefore, in order to further support businesses in adapting to the new goods regime, we will introduce legislation which will allows CE-marked goods to continue to be placed on the GB market (England, Scotland, and Wales) for a further year until 1 January 2023.
We appreciate all businesses' efforts in preparing for the UKCA mark so far and strongly encourage them to continue preparing for the new UKCA mark as soon as possible.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made through the available pathways included in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement to increase and enhance the mutual recognition of professional qualifications; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
In the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), the UK and the EU agreed a framework under which regulatory and professional bodies from both territories may enter into arrangements for the recognition of professional qualifications for regulated professions covering the UK and all 27 EU Member States.
Such arrangements will be implemented on a profession-by-profession basis and depend upon cooperation from both sides. Once an arrangement is adopted under the framework in the TCA, UK professionals will be able to use the terms outlined in the arrangement to secure recognition of their professional qualifications within EU Member States.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the agreements reached for the recognition of UK professional qualifications in the EU by equivalent regulators; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
In the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), the UK and the EU agreed a framework under which regulatory and professional bodies from both territories may enter into arrangements for the recognition of professional qualifications for regulated professions covering the UK and all 27 EU Member States.
Such arrangements will be implemented on a profession-by-profession basis and depend upon cooperation from both sides. Once an arrangement is adopted under the framework in the TCA, UK professionals will be able to use the terms outlined in the arrangement to secure recognition of their professional qualifications within EU Member States.