Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking together with the Overseas Territories to improve the transparency of the beneficial ownership of assets.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 21 November, the Foreign Secretary launched his campaign to tackle illicit finance and corruption. Tackling financial secrecy by raising the bar on corporate transparency globally, including in partnership with the Overseas Territories, will be an important priority within this campaign.
At the Joint Ministerial Council last month, I confirmed the UK Government's expectation that OTs implement fully public registers of beneficial ownership. Fully public registers have already been introduced in Montserrat and Gibraltar, and commitments were made by the Falkland Islands and Saint Helena to introduce these by April 2025. Saint Helena has recently passed relevant legislation.
Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands committed to implement registers of beneficial ownership accessible to those with legitimate interest, which offer the maximum possible degree of access and transparency whilst containing the necessary safeguards to protect the right to privacy in line with respective constitutions, at the latest by June 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the effectiveness of the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 introduced emergency legislation to crack down on Russian dirty money including measures to move faster and harder when imposing sanctions, the creation of a Register of Overseas Entities to help crack down on foreign criminals using UK property to launder money and measures to strengthen the UK’s Unexplained Wealth Order regime to better support law enforcement investigations on property owned by overseas entities.
Government is required to conduct post-legislative scrutiny on legislation within five years. A review and assessment of the effectiveness of this Act will be made within five years of its commencement.
In the interim, Government publishes a report on the number of Unexplained Wealth Orders applied for and obtained annually. This contains a commentary section on the operation of the powers: Unexplained wealth orders: 2022 to 2023 annual report - GOV.UK. The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) have also written a review on the impact of the measures introducing a Register of Overseas Entities: UNU-WIDER : Working Paper : The end of Londongrad? The impact of beneficial ownership transparency on offshore investment in UK property.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made in upgrading the accommodation for armed forces personnel and their families at military establishments in the UK.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
For FY 2024-25, circa £440 million is currently forecast to be spent on maintaining and improving SFA. This includes improving insulation, remediating homes with damp and mould issues and the upgrade of heating systems.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to reviewing its standard for accommodation with the aim of improving the condition of SFA across the estate, and to improve the lived experience for Service families. As part of this, the MOD has recently regained ownership of circa 36,000 SFA properties through the deal with Annington Property Limited, substantially increasing its ability to redevelop and improve our estate further.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the size of the reserve forces.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
A number of activities are underway across the single Services aimed at increasing the size of our Reserves.
Within the Royal Navy, social media, local civic events and marketing campaigns are utilised to engage and inform potential joiners of the opportunities available to them. A new national recruitment campaign is planned for 2025, which includes local radio and other mediums to attract new entrants.
Within the Army, good progress has been made against a package of measures aimed at improving inflow and retention. Highlights include a marketing campaign, the use of four financial incentive schemes, and the optimisation of recruiting processes.
Within the Royal Air Force, progress has been made on the establishment of regional support hubs which focus on recruitment and initial training, fast track selection events, the development of a Reserves-focused marketing campaign, and establishing a team dedicated to Reserves career management.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest estimate of the amount of public money lost through tax evasion in each of the past five years.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
At the Budget, the Government announced the most ambitious ever package to close the tax gap, raising £6.5 billion of additional tax revenue in 2029-30, ensuring more of the tax which should be paid is paid, loopholes are closed, and taxpayers are supported to pay the right tax first time.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates the size of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. The tax gap statistics are published annually and are available at: Measuring tax gaps 2024 edition: tax gap estimates for 2022 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Table 7.1 of the online tables shows the illustrative tax gap time series by behaviour, including evasion. The tax gap for evasion was £5.5 billion in tax year 2022 to 2023. The online tables are available at: Measuring tax gaps tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what contribution the UK Hydrographic Office is making to decarbonising the shipping industry.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) goals are for a Carbon Intensity reduction of at least 40% by 2030 compared with 2008 levels. Given the lack of availability of future fuels and greener technology, the drivers for decarbonisation in the near term are going to be voyage optimisation and increased efficiency in navigation.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many countries allow British citizens to travel to them without a visa.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
FCDO Travel Advice provides information to British nationals on entry requirements for travelling overseas, including any visa requirements. Travel Advice pages are kept under regular review.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made to enable artists to work in the European Union more easily.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We fully recognise the scale of challenges facing creative and cultural professionals wishing to tour and work in Europe. We appreciate that these challenges could not only deny European audiences the opportunity to experience British talent, but also limit opportunities for our artists to collaborate and build their careers. Cultural exchange has long been a cornerstone of the UK-EU relationship, which is why we have made a manifesto pledge to both help our touring artists and reset our wider relationship with the European Union.
We are already working collaboratively with our sectors to address key issues and are engaging with the EU and EU Member States, with a view to improving arrangements for artists working and touring across the European continent without seeing a return to free movement. This is a priority for the government.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many countries' citizens are allowed to travel to the UK without a visa.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
There are currently 88 nationalities which do not require a visa to enter the UK for visits of up to six months, but will be required to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in advance of travel from 2025. British and Irish nationals do not require a visa or ETA to enter the UK. Individuals who are free, or exempt, from immigration control (of any nationality), are also able to travel to the UK without a visa, which is in line with our international obligations.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve support for veterans.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Work continues across government and with civil society to ensure veterans get access to the support they need.
Last month, the Prime Minister announced the continuation of funding for the cross-UK Reducing Veterans Homelessness Programme, including Op FORTITUDE. This system provides housing guidance and assistance to veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. As of 30 November 2024, over 2,850 referrals have been made and 822 veterans have been supported into housing.
This is in addition to his commitment earlier in the year that veterans will be exempt from local connection and residency tests when applying for social housing in England.
Veterans can also access a range of tailored employment support, including the Career Transition Partnership, which is the initial point of provision for those leaving military service in search of new job opportunities.
Armed Forces Champions are also based across the UK’s JobCentre Plus network, providing tailored advice and employability support to members of the armed forces community.
In England Op RESTORE provides specialist care to veterans who have physical health problems, and Op COURAGE, a mental health specialist service helps veterans and their families.