Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish the draft bill for their proposed register of the beneficial owners of overseas companies owning property in the UK.
Answered by Lord Henley
On 11 December the Government published its new Anti-Corruption Strategy. In the Strategy we have committed to publish a draft bill in this session of Parliament for the establishment of a public register of beneficial ownership of overseas legal entities.
The Department ran a call for evidence on this policy earlier in 2017. We will publish a response to the call for evidence early in 2018 and will also set out more detail on the timeline for publishing the legislation.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effects of any inconsistencies in deadlines for the ratification of concluded and signed EU trade agreements established by the European Commission under the auspices of Economic Partnership Agreements.
Answered by Lord Price
I am not aware of inconsistencies in deadlines for the ratification of Economic Partnership Agreements between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific partners. EU Regulation 1528/2007 of 20 December 2007 states that ratification of the agreements should take place “within a reasonable period of time.”
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the normal functioning of parliamentary ratification processes in developing countries of the EU bringing forward the deadlines for ratification of EU Economic Partnership Agreements.
Answered by Lord Price
The EU has not brought forward the deadlines for ratification of Economic Partnership Agreements between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) partners. EU Regulation 1528/2007 of 20 December 2007 states that ratification of the agreements should take place “within a reasonable period of time.” I expect the parliamentary ratification processes in developing countries to function as normal in relation to these agreements.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to discuss with the European Commission the effect of the deadlines placed on the ratification of trade agreements with developing countries where such deadlines could undermine the normal functioning of parliamentary engagement of these ratification processes.
Answered by Lord Price
EU Regulation 1528/2007 of 20 December 2007 states that ratification of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific partners should take place “within a reasonable period of time.” UK officials are in regular contact with the European Commission about the EPAs and we do not expect Regulation 1528/2007 to undermine the normal functioning of parliamentary engagement in the ratification processes for these agreements.