Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Crown Dependencies on setting up public registers of beneficial ownership on the basis of a voluntary agreement in the last two months.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
The Crown Dependencies are not part of the UK. They are self-governing Dependencies of the Crown with their own legislative assemblies, administrative, fiscal and legal systems and courts of law.
The Ministry of Justice manages the constitutional relationship between the UK and the Crown Dependencies. Ministers and officials routinely discuss a range of matters relevant to the constitutional relationship with the Crown Dependencies, including company registers of beneficial ownership, but it is not my Department’s role to make specific recommendations in this area.
The Ministry of Justice also liaises with the Home Office as the lead UK Department for arrangements on sharing beneficial ownership information between our law enforcement agencies for corporate and legal entities incorporated in our respective jurisdictions. These arrangements are set out in the ‘Exchange of Notes’ between the UK and Crown Dependencies.
The Government intends to use its best endeavours, diplomatically and with international partners, to promote public registers of company beneficial ownership as the global standard. The Government would expect the Crown Dependencies to adopt public registers in line with changes in global standards and they have committed to doing so.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date he plans to publish the outcome of the call for evidence on corporate liability for economic crime.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
The Ministry of Justice carried out a call for evidence on corporate criminal liability for economic crime in 2017, to establish whether further reform of the law was necessary. The response will issue in due course.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to paragraph (J) of the Government's Consultation Principles, updated in January 2016, for what reasons the results of the call for evidence on Corporate Liability for Economic Crime have not been published.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
The Ministry of Justice carried out a call for evidence on corporate criminal liability for economic crime in 2017, to establish whether further reform of the law was necessary. The response will issue in due course.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to respond to the letter of the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland of 20 November 2017 on the release of a child sex offender.
Answered by Phillip Lee
The response you have requested was sent out on 14 December 2017.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2016 to Question 48793, whether her Department requires foreign jurisdictions to meet human rights standards set out in the European Convention on Human Rights before considering the provision of prison and security-related services to them.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
We are not involved in, or actively considering, the provision of prison and security-related services for profit overseas at the present time. Were we to be asked to provide such services in the future, it would be on the basis of cost recovery only, and would be conducted fully in line with UK Government human rights policy which is published on the gov.uk website.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 11 October 2016 to Question 46577 which foreign jurisdictions have made use of the information and resources to which she refers during the last five years; and how much has been received from such jurisdictions in fees.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
As I stated in my earlier response, the National Offender Management Service can provide foreign jurisdictions access to a range of information including accredited programmes and related assessments and training in return for a fee, under a licence agreement. Over the last five years, we have provided intervention and assessment guidance under licence to Canada, New Zealand and the Netherlands and training to Ireland. We have received £11,340 in fees. All services and materials currently provided to foreign jurisdictions under a licence agreement are either free or provided on the basis of cost recovery only.
With regard to services provided under the Just Solutions International brand, which was closed down in September 2015, details are fully documented in a National Audit Office report, available here: https://www.nao.org.uk/report/investigation-into-just-solutions-international/
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information her Department holds on how many times provisions under Section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 have been used to convict people in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Scotland.
Answered by Oliver Heald
We do not hold statistics on the number of offenders found guilty under Section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015, as the offence has yet to be commenced.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2016 to Question 44657, for what reasons the commencement of Section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 has not yet taken place.
Answered by Oliver Heald
The Government remains committed to commencing section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015. We are continuing to consider its implementation carefully whilst also considering our other justice priorities.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what prisons and security-related sales and services the UK is (a) contracted to provide and (b) planning to provide to other countries in (i) 2017, (ii) 2018 and (iii) 2019.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
As has been announced previously we want the Ministry of Justice to focus firmly on its domestic reform programmes. NOMS continues to be committed to supporting international cross government priorities but does not provide commercial services to other jurisdictions, and has no plans to do so in the future.
The National Offender Management Service can provide foreign jurisdictions access to a range of information covered by Crown Copyright, including accredited programmes and related assessments and training where there is no, or minimal impact upon resources. This material is delivered in return for a fee, under a licence agreement. The fee is charged on the basis of cost recovery only.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Government plans to issue a commencement order for section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 on sexual communication with a child.
Answered by Oliver Heald
The Government remains committed to commencing section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 and will do so in due course.