Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many criminal investigations have been initiated by HM Revenue and Customs against individuals suspected of being involved with tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance in each of the last five years for which data is available.

The information requested is set out below. These figures do not include operations where HMRC is not aware of a clear and definitive link to tax evasion.

2012/13- 1159 operations initiated

2013/14- 905 operations initiated

2014/15-1087 operations initiated

2015/16- 822 operations initiated

2016/17- 919 operations initiated