Asked by: Jill Mortimer (Conservative - Hartlepool)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to his oral contribution of 2 February 2022, Official Report, col 276, what plans he has for an economic crime bill.
Answered by Boris Johnson
Further to my oral statement on Monday 31 January (column 46), crime, excluding fraud and computer misuse, is down by 17% since June 2019 according to the latest official statistics. That is why we are also determined to tackle the threat of fraud and economic crime. Action we have already taken includes: publishing a landmark Economic Crime Plan; creating a new National Economic Crime Centre; introducing new powers for law enforcement, such as unexplained wealth orders; committing £400 million over the next three years to crack down on economic crime; implementing a public register of overseas beneficial company ownership - the first major economy in the world to do so; and committing to a register of overseas beneficial property ownership – the first country in the world to do so. And, as I said, we are committed to bringing forward an Economic Crime Bill.