Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have been convicted of offences relating to arrangements which have been marketed as tax avoidance since the formation of HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service on 1 April 2016.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Promotion or operation of mass marketed tax avoidance schemes is not in, or of itself, a criminal offence. However, there are a range of offences which might be committed by those who promote tax avoidance schemes or advise on their use.
Since the formation of HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service on 1 April 2016, more than 20 individuals have been convicted for offences relating to arrangements which have been promoted and marketed as tax avoidance. These have resulted in over 100 years of custodial sentences and 9 years of suspended sentences being ordered, the majority of which relate to promoters.
Prosecutions are only one type of intervention available to HMRC where they identify concerns.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much his Department (a) budgeted and (b) spent on the UK Action Against Corruption programme in each financial year since the start of that programme.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The budget and spend on the UK Action to Support Developing Countries Fighting Corruption Programme are provided in the below table. This includes budget and spend in previous iterations of the Programme.
Financial Year | National Crime Agency | Crown Prosecution Agency | City of London Police* | Metropolitan Police Service* | UK Central Authority |
2009/10 Budget | - | - | - | - | - |
2009/10 Spend | £128,933.00 | - | £316,271.68 | £243,000.00 | - |
2010/11 Budget | - | - | - | - | - |
2010/11 Spend | £28,059.00 | £4,855.00 | £889,816.90 | £701,969.30 | - |
2011/12 Budget | - | - | - | - | - |
2011/12 Spend | - | £132,713.70 | £900,205.38 | £759,999.83 | - |
2012/13 Budget | - | - | - | - | - |
2012/13 Spend | £211,500.00 | £140,784.47 | £1,122,820.87 | £938,476.84 | - |
2013/14 Budget | - | - | - | - | - |
2013/14 Spend | £201,984.25 | £169,834.41 | £1,318,601.56 | £1,168,001.00 | - |
2014/15 Budget | - | - | - | - | - |
2014/15 Spend | £419,512.99 | £183,043.61 | £1,314,870.58 | £1,352,288.50 | - |
2015/16 Budget | £2,824,469.00 | £194,887.00 | £655,218.00 | £219,462.00 | - |
2015/16 Spend | £1,928,332.37 | £215,639.41 | £612,753.00 | £108,953.74 | - |
2016/17 Budget | £3,912,796.00 | £231,748.00 | £404,426.00 | - | - |
2016/17 Spend | £2,748,325.44 | £216,546.87 | £455,877.74 | - | - |
2017/18 Budget | £4,361,241.00 | £244,761.00 | £240,000.00 | - | - |
2017/18 Spend | £3,875,640.69 | £261,205.19 | £191,936.82 | - | - |
2018/19 Budget | £4,443,003.00 | £272,931.00 | £180,700.00 | - | - |
2018/19 Spend | £4,869,794.62 | £252,941.12 | £180,471.24 | - | - |
2019/20 Budget | £4,610,853.00 | £272,931.00 | £170,000.00 | - | - |
2019/20 Spend | £4,230,454.11 | £300,146.87 | £233,218.28 | - | - |
2020/21 Budget | £5,656,027.00 | £317,000.00 | £117,943.00 (Budget for FY 2020/21 and 2021/22) | - | £254,788.00 |
2020/21 Spend | £5,538,861.87 | £313,544.41 | £36,444.55 | - | £180,032.77 |
2021/22 Budget | £5,023,000.00 | £213,000.00 | £117,943.00 (Budget for FY 2020/21 and 2021/22) | - | £65,608.00 |
2021/22 Spend | £4,699,253.60 | £213,000.00 | £18,643.20 | - | £54,776.10 |
2022/23 Budget | £4,764,774.00 | £213,000.00 | - | - | - |
2022/23 Spend | £5,006,953.80 | £213,000.00 | - | - | - |
*The Metropolitan Police Service Proceeds of Corruption Team (POCU) and the work of the City of London Police Overseas Anti-Corruption Unit (OACU) were merged with the National Crime Agency in 2015. OACU funding continued to complete legacy cases until 2021/22. The UK Central Authority funding began in 2020 but then was cut as a result of Covid budget priorities.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress his Department has made on securing the £4 million settlement between the National Crime Agency and Suleyman Javadov; whether the location of these funds has been identified; and what plans his Department has for the (a) management and (b) disposal of these funds.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The NCA made an application for forfeiture at Westminster Magistrates Court on 28 May 2020 under s303Z14 of the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA). The Order was granted by the court with the consent of all parties. The total amount forfeited was £4,066,480.11.
As the funds were recovered under POCA the funds entered the HO Asset Recovery Insentivisation Scheme (ARIS). ARIS is a discretionary funding model that’s objective is to provide agencies (prosecuting, investigating and enforcement) with incentives to use POCA powers to pursue asset recovery with the overall aim of cutting crime and delivering justice. ARIS receipts are split 50:50 between operational partners involved in the asset recovery process, and central government.
Further information on ARIS can be found at: Asset recovery statistical bulletin: financial years ending 2018 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on the number of active limited partnerships there were in each year since 2017.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC does not hold information on the number of active Limited Partnerships.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's planned timescale is for publishing the outcome of its consultation entitled Reforming anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing supervision.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Following the Treasury’s consultation on reforming the UK’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing supervisory regime which closed September 2023, the Government aims to respond in the coming months. We would like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to the consultation. The evidence we received reinforced the importance of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing supervision in reducing economic crime.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many (a) Limited Partnerships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, (b) Scottish Limited Partnerships and (c) Limited Liability Partnerships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were incorporated in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
(a) Limited Partnerships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland | ||
| England and Wales | Northern Ireland |
2023 | 620 | 43 |
2022 | 854 | 57 |
2021 | 708 | 32 |
2020 | 814 | 40 |
2019 | 752 | 63 |
2018 | 1415 | 349 |
2017 | 645 | 73 |
2016 | 742 | 96 |
2015 | 597 | 64 |
2014 | 526 | 1 |
(b) Scottish Limited Partnerships | |
2023 | 630 |
2022 | 729 |
2021 | 591 |
2020 | 657 |
2019 | 751 |
2018 | 2,689 |
2017 | 4,932 |
2016 | 5,706 |
2015 | 3,884 |
2014 | 3,499 |
(c) Limited Liability Partnerships in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland | ||
| England and Wales | Northern Ireland |
2023 | 4,901 | 26 |
2022 | 5,102 | 42 |
2021 | 5,338 | 48 |
2020 | 4,618 | 47 |
2019 | 4,935 | 62 |
2018 | 5,062 | 89 |
2017 | 8,663 | 72 |
2016 | 8,025 | 68 |
2015 | 6,789 | 130 |
2014 | 8,472 | 148 |
The year in the table provided refers to the financial year ending year, i.e. 2023 means 2022-23 Financial Year.
The data in the tables comes from the annual official statistics publication that Companies House produces: Companies register activities: statistical release 2022 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the Government plans to vote in favour of establishing a budget for the Member State-led, intergovernmental committee at the United Nations General Assembly Fifth Committee.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UN's Fifth Committee (Administration and Budget) is a technical committee which applies appropriate resources to UN mandates and seeks agreement amongst the broadest possible consensus. The UK encourages budget discipline across the UN System and calls for the appropriate level of funding for agreed mandates.
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the total funding for (a) the NHS North East London Integrated Care Board and (b) other Integrated Care Boards in London is capital funding.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The total funding received by the North East London Integrated Care Board (ICB) and other London ICBs in financial year 2022/23 is set out in the below table (rounded to the nearest 100,000), alongside the relevant capital funding figures. The figures for capital funding exclude IFRS 16 and primary care allocations.
ICB | Total funding | Total capital funding | Capital proportion of total funding |
North Central London | £3,301,800 | £218,600 | 6.6% |
North East London | £3,700,000 | £99,700 | 2.7% |
North West London | £4,645,600 | £213,000 | 4.6% |
South East London | £3,343,100 | £221,900 | 6.6% |
South West London | £2,498,200 | £138,200 | 5.5% |
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding was received by (a) North East London Integrated Care System and (b) other London trusts in the 2022-23 financial year.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The total funding received by the North East London Integrated Care Board (ICB) and other London ICBs in financial year 2022/23 is set out in the below table (rounded to the nearest 100,000), alongside the relevant capital funding figures. The figures for capital funding exclude IFRS 16 and primary care allocations.
ICB | Total funding | Total capital funding | Capital proportion of total funding |
North Central London | £3,301,800 | £218,600 | 6.6% |
North East London | £3,700,000 | £99,700 | 2.7% |
North West London | £4,645,600 | £213,000 | 4.6% |
South East London | £3,343,100 | £221,900 | 6.6% |
South West London | £2,498,200 | £138,200 | 5.5% |
Asked by: Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly Second Committee on establishing a United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation adopted on 22 November 2023, whether the Government plans to support this resolution.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK strongly supports developing countries' efforts to scale-up domestic resource mobilisation to finance sustainable development.
The UK engaged constructively in the negotiations on the UN tax resolution. However, the UK, alongside many other countries, is concerned that proceeding with a UN convention on international tax at this time would not be the most effective way to achieve these goals. An Explanation of Vote was published on GOV.UK on 22nd November. [LINK]